‘Shut up all the idiots out there!’ – Ronaldo captains Portugal vs Ghana as Keane backs ex-Man Utd forward to shine

Cristiano Ronaldo makes his first appearance since leaving Man Utd as he leads Portugal out in their Group H opener against Ghana. 

​Ronaldo’s first match since leaving UnitedCaptains Portugal against GhanaFeatures alongside Bruno Fernandes

WHAT HAPPENED? Amid all the controversy surrounding his exit from United and rumours of his next destination, Ronaldo will captain Portugal when they take on Ghana later this Thursday. He features in a team alongside now ex-United teammate Bruno Fernandes, after their frosty reception upon the forward’s arrival to camp.

Portugal XI: Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Pereira, Guerreiro; Neves, Otavio; Fernandes, Felix, Silva; Ronaldo (C).

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The announcement of Ronaldo’s inclusion and captaincy comes just a few days after Man Utd announced they were parting ways with the player due to comments made to Piers Morgan’s TalkTV. Noise surrounding where the forward would head next – including a mega-money offer from Saudi Arabia – only worsened when the player was handed a fine and domestic ban by the FA. Now acting as Portugal’s captain, Ronaldo will have to drown that out and focus on matters on the pitch.

WHAT THEY SAID:

IN TWO PHOTOS: Can be more or fewer than three if justifiable – justify use of more or fewer in short voice-y sentence on same line as sub-head.

Photos to tell story of the match – should not be the same as the main image. Include line breaks between them.

THE VERDICT:

Cristiano Ronaldo starts and CAPTAINS Portugal against Ghana ?

They kick-off at 16:00 GMT #BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/XYaD08BZKx

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 24, 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo STARTS and is named captain for Portugal’s World Cup opener against Ghana. ?? pic.twitter.com/3GFxsBCtYX

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 24, 2022

Ronaldo is in the building ??? pic.twitter.com/YjfgkP6oAY

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 24, 2022

WHAT NEXT FOR PORTUGAL? After Thursday’s opener against Ghana, Portugal take on Uruguay on matchday 2, who played out an uneventful 0-0 draw against South Korea in their opening match.

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