Cristiano Ronaldo's sister Elma Aveiro has jumped in to defend the five-time Ballon d'Or winner as the dust settles on his bombshell interview with media figure Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo, 37, shocked Manchester United on Sunday evening when snippets from his chat with Morgan started to emerge on social media. In that interview, the superstar frontman revealed that he thought he had been "betrayed" by United while claiming Erik ten Hag and other key figures behind the scenes "want to force him out".
It has been a headline-driven season for the Portugal captain despite his bit-part role on the pitch. He expressed a desire to leave the club for a second time in the summer, missed the pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia and then refused to come off the bench during a win over Tottenham last month.
READ MORE: Ronaldo drops bombshell interview
Ronaldo has received widespread criticism for the interview, although his support team - including family and one or two pundits - continue to back up the former Real Madrid and Juventus superstar. Aveiro was among the first to react and she has form for hitting out at Ten Hag.
Aveiro posted four direct stories on her Instagram profile. She also reposted several messages from Twitter which offered support to her brother.
In the four stories, translated from Portuguese, she posted: "I'm not silent about doors that I will hardly open again out of pride, but more out of respect for myself. I will always be proud of you my dear."
Aveiro then called Ronaldo the "biggest pride of her life" and added: "The truth is being told." She previously hit out at Ten Hag when Ronaldo was substituted against Newcastle earlier in the season, which prompted the Portuguese record-breaker to publicly vent his frustrations on his way back to the dugout.
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