Cristiano Ronaldo Says "I Never Thought We Could be World Champions" Following Yesterday's 2-2 Tie to the United States

Following his country's 2-2 tie to the U.S., Cristiano Ronaldo was extremely down on himself and his teammates with the media.

Image via USA TODAY Sports

Even after an encouraging 2-2 tie to the United States last night, Cristiano Ronaldo was anything but happy, hopeful or optimistic. Following the match, Cristiano spoke to the media and, well, check out the excerpt below about his assessment of the team.

"Maybe we're an average team," Ronaldo said after Sunday's game, via Goal.com. "It would be a lie to say that we are a 'top' team. We have many limitations and suffer from injuries such as with Pepe [who was suspended] and [Fabio] Coentrao. This limits us a lot. We have a very limited team and we are not at the best level. This does not enable you to beat top teams.

Is this knee injury clouding his judgment? Ronaldo really believes that: 1) they aren't a "top" team, 2) they never could be world champions, and 3) they could never win the tournament? Then, why is CR pushing through an injury that could reportedly hurt his career going forward?

As the main guy and someone the rest of the club looks to for leadership, this is last thing any of his teammates or the country's fans want to hear. Even though the odds of, at least, advancing to the knockout stage are slim, you gotta put forth the mindset that you can seemingly do the impossible. If you can't even do that, this team has already lost to Ghana. 

RELATED: Cristiano Ronaldo: Badass or Jackass?

[via Larry Brown Sports]

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