The Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, has defended Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming he never had any problems with the player.

The Italian coached Ronaldo during his first spell in charge at Madrid.

Ronaldo is going through a turbulent year, in which he saw his contract with Manchester United terminated after he criticized the club and manager Erik ten Hag.

The 37-year-old was also benched against Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup, with head coach Fernando Santos admitting he didn’t like his reaction to being taken off against South Korea.

But Ancelotti told Corriere dello Sport: “What’s the problem?" I don’t know; perhaps he still feels like he is 20 years old because he feels well. He’s been taking care of his body for his entire career, but the competition is stiffer now.

“I managed him for two years and never had problems. On the contrary, he solved my problems. He scores one goal per game; how can you consider him a problem? He trains well; he takes care of every detail. To me, it was very easy to coach him. "He is an exceptional player.”