Ronaldo no showoff - Spalletti Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Roma boss Luciano Spalletti has defended Cristiano Ronaldo in the wake of suggestions that he showboated against the Italians at Stadio Olimpico last week
Several Roma players came out in the press insisting that the Portuguese winger had attempted to humiliate them when he dipped into his bag of tricks in Manchester United’s 2-0 away win in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, with labels such as ‘big head’ and ‘show off’ being bandied about in the media.
But Spalletti claims that such comments were made in the heat of the moment, while he and his players were afflicted by the disappointment of defeat.
“Some of the things said by our club after the game were perhaps said in the heat of the moment because we had the bitter taste of defeat in our mouths,” he said.
“Our comments had the bitterness of defeat in them because we were disappointed after that game.
“Sometimes we may say things that we normally would not and that is what happened.”
And Spalletti insists that Ronaldo was not arrogant in his actions, but was merely displaying his technical prowess through playing his natural game.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is an excellent player,” he said. “It is something that he has shown through his game.
“He is a very exuberant player and a very fair player. He is a very correct player.
