Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister Katia Aveiro has made her feelings clear on Bruno Fernandes after Portugal’s disappointing World Cup draw with DR Congo.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister Katia Aveiro has made her views abundantly clear regarding Bruno Fernandes following Portugal’s World Cup opening stalemate with DR Congo on Wednesday. The Manchester United midfielder completed the entire 90 minutes alongside Ronaldo but failed to deliver the standard of display supporters have come to expect from him in national colours.
Roberto Martinez’s team endured a thoroughly disappointing start in Houston, with Joao Neves’ sixth-minute header ultimately cancelled out by Newcastle United star Yoane Wissa. Despite commanding 75% of possession, the Portuguese managed just three efforts on target – leaving Ronaldo without a single accurate attempt of his own.
Fernandes also endured a lacklustre outing, with Katia ‘liking’ an Instagram post from a Brazilian account critiquing the United captain for not matching his club displays on the international level. Accompanied by an image of Fernandes, the post stated: “This one here is the Raphinha for Portugal. Too much popcorn for the national team.”
Ronaldo himself faced scrutiny for his limited impact during the fixture, recording merely 25 touches against Congo. Despite this, he remained on the field throughout.
One Portugal supporter posted on X: “Ronaldo just gets in the way, and only those who don’t want to see it won’t. It’s ridiculous that he has a guaranteed place in the national team.” Another commented: “Ronaldo just sits in the box waiting for a miracle ball that never arrives.”
With seven minutes left on the clock, Martinez chose to introduce Goncalo Ramos, withdrawing Vitinha — a move that drew sharp criticism from England pundit Chris Sutton. “He [Martinez] is scared to take him off,” Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live. “He is not the manager. He [Ronaldo] might score the winner, but the game passed him by.
“He is a brilliant player. He was once the playmaker, but now he is the poacher. He is not only the poacher, but he runs the estate. I don’t understand some of his management. Cristiano Ronaldo was on the periphery and Martinez has to be brave enough to be the manager.”
Martinez, however, defended his substitution, arguing it would have made little sense to withdraw the goalscorer while Portugal were pushing for a winner.
“We were finding it difficult because they were playing in a back six,” Martinez hit back. “And in a situation like that, you can use his qualities. It makes no sense to get a player like Cristiano out of the game where you need goals.
“The straight line is not the quickest way. The way he attracts defenders and uses space is valuable. When you need goals, you need a player like Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch.”
Taking to Instagram after the match, five‑time Ballon d’Or winner wrote: “This was not the start we wanted but this is far from being over. Heads held high and focus on the next game.”
Portugal will seek to recover from their disappointing display when they take on Uzbekistan on Tuesday, June 23 (6pm). Meanwhile, fellow Group K rivals Colombia strengthened their position at the top of the table after beating Uzbekistan 3-1.
