Jueventus Boss Massimiliano Allegri Admits Cristiano Ronaldo Was Angry After UEFA Award Snub
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has claimed that star player Cristiano Ronaldo is 'angry' after being overlooked for UEFA's Player of the Year award, where his former teammate Luka Modrić was eventually presented with the coveted trophy.
Incredibly, the Portugal international even backed out of going to the award ceremony in Monaco where he would have had the chance to support his former Real Madrid colleague in person, but Juve boss Allegri insisted that Ronaldo's decision has to be respected.
"It was his personal decision and like all personal decisions, it is to be respected," Allegri told a press conference on Friday, quoted by ESPN.
"All I will say is that Ronaldo had a great season last year and tomorrow he is going to play [against Parma] with [Mario] Mandzukic, while I will decide on the third or fourth [forward] after training.
"He was angry yesterday because he won the Champions League scoring 15 goals. This shows that he always wants to be the best."
Ronaldo came in second place at the ceremony on Thursday by picking up 223 votes, significantly higher that Mohamed Salah's 134. But Modrić picked up the award thanks to 313 votes being cast for the Croatia international.
With attention now set to return to Serie A action, Ronaldo will be desperate to ensure that he finally finds his goalscoring touch in Italy.
The 33-year-old has been unable to find the back of the net in the Old Lady's opening two fixtures against Chievo and Lazio, despite having a number of clear-cut opportunities to score in both games and taking a total of 15 shots.
