Usually coaches are not impressed when one of their players react furiously to a substitution, but Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri has now explained why he is happy with Cristiano Ronaldo's recent outburst.
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The 34-year-old was not pleased when he was substituted for a second game in a row in Juve's 1-0 win over AC Milan a fortnight ago, walking straight down the tunnel instead of joining his non-playing teammates on the bench.
He reportedly also left the stadium early, although it has since been confirmed that he will not face any punishment from his club for his actions.
Having previously downplayed the incident a number of times, Sarri has now insisted that Ronaldo's reaction at the time shows he is still motivated.
"I have a good relationship with Cristiano. If a player who has won so much is angry about being substituted, it means he still has a lot of motivation, and this is something positive," the Italian tactician said, as quoted by Reuters.
Click through the gallery below to see some other incidents when Ronaldo fell out with his coaches:
Both coach and player have claimed that Ronaldo's substitutions were based on an niggling injury issue, but the forward started both of Portugal's matches during the recent international break, before missing Juve's 3-1 win over Atalanta on Saturday with a new injury problem.
However, Sarri has now revealed that his star player has returned to training and could feature in the Bianconeri's clash against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
"Yesterday (Sunday), he trained with his teammates," he added.
"It seems that his condition is improving, but we still have to evaluate between today and tomorrow."
Read: 10 Players Who Left Real Madrid Because Of Ronaldo
Ronaldo has scored just six goals in 14 appearances for Juventus so far this season, but Atletico are among his favourite victims in the game, with the forward having netted an impressive 25 goals against them over the years.
Do you think Ronaldo and Sarri have a healthy relationship? Have your say in the comments section below.
