Portugal talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo, insists that he is not bothered by what his critics say or write about him ahead of their semi-final with Spain.
By his own high standards, Ronaldo was below-par in the first two games of Euro 2012 and faced some criticism from the Portuguese media, but exploded into form by netting winning goals against Netherlands and the Czech Republic in his last two outings.
His performances have helped Portugal into the semi-finals, where they will face Iberian rivals Spain, and he claims his detractors do not occupy a place in his thoughts.
?The bigger star you become, the greater pressure there is on you to perform at a level acceptable to other people let alone yourself,? said Ronaldo. ?Even Messi has his critics. You can?t please everyone. But I don?t get angry or frustrated by it.
?I accept it?s part of being a professional footballer, it comes with the territory. It takes a bigger man to ignore it and just get on with playing. I don?t have an agenda where I set out to appease critics. I just go out and play to the best of my ability.?
Spain and Germany are the bookies? favourites to walk away with the trophy, but Ronaldo insisted that his side can provide a surprise and go all the way.
?We?re improving and that?s important,? he added. ?There is great unity in our squad, we?ve a good team spirit and that helps.
?It?s been difficult to get this far, but we reach this stage with a great deal of optimism no matter who we face in the semi-final.
?Our objective now is to reach the final. Why not? There?s greater pressure on other sides in this tournament and we?ve been able to progress without excessive expectations. No matter what happens now we should all be congratulated.??ESPN
