With Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo having just parted ways with Manchester United, Ghana head coach Otto Addo delivered a frank answer while responding to the controversy surrounding their soon-to-be 2022 FIFA World Cup opponent.
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There have been suggestions that Ronaldo's controversial departure from United earlier this week could be a distraction for his national team. The 37-year-old forward has been in the limelight ever since the airing of his bombshell interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan earlier this month.
Following that interview, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has seen his contract with the Red Devils being mutually terminated, and the superstar forward is now set to contest his first game at the 2022 World Cup as the only player at the tournament without a club.
Portugal will kick off their World Cup campaign against Ghana on Thursday evening, and when Black Stars coach Otto Addo was asked ahead of that match if Ronaldo's exit from the home of the Mancunians would cause problems for his side, he gave a blunt response.
"I don't know [if the Ronaldo saga could be a distraction] and to be honest, I don't care," Addo told the media, as per the Daily Mail.
"This is not our problem and I don't think it's a big problem.
"Everyone wants to win. No matter what happens, it's a big stage, a big game at the World Cup level so I don't think, normally, this can distract anyone."
The midfielder-turned-coach also added that he is confident his players are ready for the encounter.
"We have the quality to compete with them. Surely, we have to be very, very brave to go into this match and we have to be self-confident to go into these matches. Our players are ready," Addo added, as per Goal.
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"We want to play football but surely we have to defend well.
"As you can see from the previous matches [in the tournament], little things can decide [a game].
"All the matches were very, very close and could have turned in each [team's] direction, and I expect this game also to be like this."
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