10 Feb 2015

Ronaldo's agent defends player over birthday party

11:28 am on 10 February 2015

The football Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has been defended by his agent after being criticised for throwing a lavish 30th birthday party hours after his team suffered a heavy loss.

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo Photo: Photosport

Real Madrid went down 4-0 to city rivals Atletico in the La Liga at the weekend.

Widely published images showing Portugal captain Ronaldo, who turned 30, and team-mates enjoying the festivities have prompted an angry reaction from Real fans on social media.

Real's president was reportedly furious and Spanish media reported the fact that none of Real's Spanish players attended, including club captains Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos, pointing to divisions in the squad.

Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes told Spanish radio his client did nothing wrong.

"Ronaldo was devastated after the defeat and people spent two hours trying to cheer him up," he says.

"The fact is that his birthday party had been organised more than a month ago and he had family coming from abroad. He didn't want to cancel out of respect for the people that came."

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs

We have regular online commentary of local and international sport.