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Cristiano Ronaldo calls out Madrid teammates after loss

A frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo called out his teammates through the media after Saturday’s loss.
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A frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo called out his Real Madrid teammates through the media after Saturday’s loss to cross-town rival Atlético Madrid.

Ronaldo named names, though he attempted to measure his stance at the beginning. His full quote, from Tiempo de Juegovia SB Nation, is below.

“I don't want to disparage anyone, any partner, but when they're not the best ... I like playing with Karim, Bale, Marcelo, but when they don't play it's difficult. I don't mean that Jese, Lucas and Kovacic are not good, but if everyone was at my level, maybe we'd be leaders.”

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Ronaldo went on to defend himself further, adding: “Every year I'm s**t according to the press, but numbers and statistics do not lie.”

Soon afterward, he reportedly backed off on those comments.

Madrid’s 1–0 loss could leave the team 12 points behind Barcelona in La Liga following tomorrow’s Barca-Sevilla match. The club is currently in third place with 54 points.