Portugal boss Paulo Bento has said Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo was fit to play in the World Cup and rejected suggestions he was rushed back from injury.
The 29-year-old helped Los Blancos lift the Copa del Rey and Champions League, scoring 51 goals along the way, but suffered hamstring and tendinitis problems in the latter stages of the campaign.
The Portugal captain was well below his best in their opening group game- a 4-0 loss to Germany, but put in better performances against USA and Ghana although he could do nothing to prevent his team falling at the first hurdle.
Some pundits have claimed the Ballon d’Or winner was rushed back from injury by the Portuguese national team as he had the weight of his country’s expectation on his shoulders.
But speaking to Portuguese television channel TV1, Bento dismissed the claims Ronaldo was under pressure to rush back from injury.
“When he reached the World Cup he was not 100 per cent. But then he was able to train and play. He played with effort and sacrifice and was medically fit, he would not have played had he not been. There was not any pressure to speed up his recovery,” he stated.
