Portugal winger Nani has denied suggestions they are a one man team and says they are able to win games even when star man Cristiano Ronaldo is missing.
Ronaldo scored a hat trick for his country at the weekend against Armenia – his 9th of the season for club and country – as Portugal picked up another three points in their European Championship qualifier.
But national team boss Fernando Santos allowed the Los Blancos front man to sit out the Italy game this week, meaning he was free to go on holiday and recuperate after a long season with Real Madrid in which is scored 61 goals for the 10-time Champions League winners.
Portugal have sometimes struggled in the past without Ronaldo, but speaking to Goal, Manchester United man Nani said the team is packed full of brilliant players.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is a very important player for us and he showed that in the last match. But with or without him, we have a strong team and need to play our game and work hard to achieve good results,” he commented.
Nani spent last season on loan at Sporting Lisbon and is being linked with a move to Benfica this summer after being told he can leave the Red Devils by boss Louis van Gaal.
