No rift with Cristiano Ronaldo – Rafa Benitez

No rift with Cristiano Ronaldo – Rafa Benitez

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Rafa Benitez has denied reports he has already had a falling out with star man Cristiano Ronaldo.

Spanish media had reported on a training ground incident in Australia, where Los Blancos are based for part of their pre-season tour, in which the 30-year-old reacted angrily to having a goal chalked off.

At a press conference in Melbourne, Benitez was asked about incident, and responded by praising the Portuguese forward, who hit a career best 61 goals last campaign.

“I have now had the opportunity to spend a few days with him, he is competitive, he likes to win and for that reason he is the best in the world, I want all my players to play like this,” Benitez said.

He added: “Seeing Ronaldo up close training, I can see that’s he doing very well.”

Ronaldo, the Ballon d’Or holder, is expected to take up a more central role under Benitez this coming season, allowing Gareth Bale to move out to his favoured left side. The pair will feature against Manchester City on Friday evening, and Benitez will continue to develop his new-look side in time for the new season when the team travels to China for the next leg of the tour.

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Experienced journalist and online marketing professional. Most of his journalism career has been spent at the Press Association, the UK’s leading news agency, covering a wide range of topics including finance, general news, travel, sport and technology. He has also worked as a sports reporter for Non League Today and as a property reporter for the trade press in London. He is a regular contributor on a number of blogs about sports and marketing.

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