"Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greats in football history" - Bruno Fernandes 

Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes has defended Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo after the Juventus star was heavily criticized for his performance against Porto.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes, however, has defended his compatriot. Fernandes believes that Ronaldo cannot be blamed for Juventus' exit from the Champions League.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the great in football history. His mentality inspires those who practice this sport. He has won a lot, but no one can win alone. I understand that his presence at Juve had created enormous expectations for the Champions League, but when a team lose, the whole squad loses, not one single player," Fernandes told La Gazetta dello Sport.

Juventus went into the home fixture of their Round of 16 Champions League tie against Porto on the back of a 2-1 defeat to the Portuguese side in the first leg. Porto opened the scoring on Tuesday night after Sergio Oliviera converted from the penalty spot.

Juventus fought back with a second-half brace from Federico Chiesa, which took the game into extra time. Porto scored once more in extra-time from a Sergio Oliviera free-kick, which went straight through the Juventus wall. Cristiano Ronaldo was part of the wall and was criticized for his weak attempt to block the shot.

🗣 "When a team loses, they lose as an entire squad, not a single player.”https://t.co/OCatKHMbFt

— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) March 12, 2021

Midfielder Adrien Rabiot smashed a header in for Juventus deep into extra time to give his side the lead on the night. However, this did not prevent the Bianconeri from getting knocked out of the competition due to the away goals rule.

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo came under scrutiny following Juventus' humiliating exit at the hands of Porto. The 36-year-old was signed from Real Madrid with the view that he would be able to guide Juventus to a Champions League title, t has failed to do so in his time at the club.

Former Juventus president Giovanni Gigli recently suggested that the Bianconeri should never have spent €100 million to sign the five-time Ballon D'or winner in 2018.

Juventus v FC Porto - UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Leg Two

Juventus are a club that are currently in a state of panic. They are ten points behind Inter Milan in the Serie A table and have just been knocked out of the Champions League.

This has forced the club hierarchy to consider a massive squad overhaul in the summer. Reports have suggested that Juventus are open to parting ways with Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer.

🗣️ "He has won a lot, but no one can win alone."🗣️ "I understand that his presence in Juventus had created enormous expectations for the Champions League, but when a team loses, they lose as an entire squad, not a single player.”https://t.co/hzSPmYSFwr

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) March 12, 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo, however, will look to end the season on a high when the Bianconeri face Atalanta in the finals of the Copa Italia on May 19th. The 36-year-old will then switch focus to the European Championships where he will team up with Bruno Fernandes in the Portugal national team.