Full-back João Cancelo was chosen by Portugal for this Monday’s press conference (22) and defended the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar in the World Cup. After drawing their debut with the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-1, Roberto Martínez’s team returns to the field this Tuesday (23), to face Uzbekistan.
He was heavily criticized by the press and public opinion after a discreet performance against the African team. He has yet to make his World Cup debut, having been left out of the games against Morocco and Haiti. Having recovered from a calf injury, the Santos player is expected to play next Wednesday (24), against Scotland.
Asked by a journalist whether the two stars needed “lawyers” in the face of criticism, Cancelo, who plays alongside CR7 in the national team and played with Neymar at Al-Hilal, in Saudi Arabia, came to the duo’s defense.
“Lawyers? What do you mean? I think that both Neymar and Cristiano don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I think they are two talented players, and what they created in football speaks for itself. These “lawyers” you talk about, I think they are just on the outside. I think both Cristiano and Neymar know what they are and what they represent for their country. There’s not much more to say about that.”
Portugal returns to the field this Tuesday, against the Uzbek team, at 2pm (Brasília time), in the second round of Group K, at NRG Stadium, in Houston. Colombia leads the group after beating the Asian representatives 3-1. The Portuguese are in third place, with the Africans in second, both with one point, but separated by tiebreaker criteria.
