CROSS CRIS
CRISTIANO RONALDO was absolutely furious when substituted by Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri against AC Milan on Sunday night.
The 34-year-old superstar had played poorly and was hooked by the former Chelsea boss with the score poised at 0-0 after 55 minutes.
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And the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was visibly fuming, telling his manager to "go away" before storming down the tunnel and reportedly leaving the stadium before the final whistle.
The Portuguese icon was made to look silly, however, when his replacement Paulo Dybala struck the winner after 77 minutes.
The Argentine's goal kept Juventus unbeaten and top of the Serie A table after 12 games.
But their former manager Fabio Capello was scathing of Ronaldo's form after the match, backing Sarri.
The ex England boss told Sky Sport Italia: "(Cristiano) is a great champion, nobody argues with that, but he hasn't dribbled past anyone in the last three years.
"At the moment he isn't at his best and it is normal to replace him. Sarri doesn't need to be brave or show his personality to make that change.
"It's not nice that he didn't sit on the bench (after being taken off) and argued with Sarri.
"One has to be a champion even when he is replaced, not only when things are going well. He must respect his team-mates."
Ronaldo has managed five goals in ten Serie A appearances this season - and Sarri was quick to defend his star man when quizzed about the incident after the match.
He said: "We must thank Ronaldo, because he made a sacrifice to be there at all tonight in a difficult situation.
"He did everything possible to play, but I saw he was not well and thought it best to take him off.
"It's only natural a player is going to be irritated to leave the pitch, especially when he worked so hard to be there.
"Over the last month, he has had this little knee problem, he had a knock in training and it hurt the collateral ligament.
"When he trains at high intensity or plays, it unbalances him, so he ends up overcompensating and it damages the calf and thigh muscles.
"It is affecting his performances and he is not at his best at the moment.
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"All players who are trying to give their best will have at least five minutes of being annoyed when they are substituted, but a coach would in general be much more worried if he didn't seem upset."
This was the second time this week that the Italian has substituted Ronaldo, having withdrawn him in midweek against Lokomotiv Moscow, in a match that saw Aaron Ramsey steal the irritable star's goal early on.
Ronaldo now joins up with his national team for matches with Lithuania and Luxembourg, before Juventus close out the month with tricky assignments against Atalanta and Atletico Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo ‘leaves Juventus Stadium early’ as he was ‘annoyed’ at being subbed off for match-winner, Paulo Dybala