Cristiano Ronaldo finally breaks silence four days after Juventus Champions League exit

Cristiano Ronaldo has issued his first message since Juventus were dumped out of the Champions League.

The Italian side were surprisingly beaten by Porto and their Portuguese forward has copped plenty of criticism.

Ronaldo turned his back on Sergio Oliveira’s free-kick which turned out to be the decisive goal.

In the days since the defeat the 36-year-old has been linked with the exit door in Turin.

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But the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has come out fighting insisting it is how they respond that matters.

He said on Instagram : “More important than the number of falls you take in life, is how fast and how strong you get back on your feet… True champions never break!

“It’s true that the past belongs in museums (I should say!), but fortunately, football has memory… and so do I!

“History can’t be deleted, it’s written every single day with resilience, team spirit, persistence and lots of hard work.

“And those who don’t understand this will never achieve glory and success.” the post also read.

The Italian media had been heavily critical of the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner after the champions league exit indicating the Juventus star “betrayed” Juventus.

Former England and Russia national team coach, Fabio Capello called it an “unforgivable mistake”, while club legend Nicola Amoruso suggested the forward was  “afraid of receiving a ball in the face because he cares about his image”, according to report by UK Mirror.

Despite these claims, Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo claimed responsibility for assigning Ronaldo and Morata to the wall.

He however maintained that the real problem was that his players “underestimated the danger” of Oliveira’s shot, which was taken at a great distance from the goal.

“An error was committed and unfortunately when you make mistakes like these in the Champions League Round of 16 you pay for them,” Pirlo said.