Ruben Dias leaves the mixed zone quickly after a tough interview following Portugal’s World Cup exit.
Ruben Dias walked out of a strange mixed zone interview after Portugal was knocked out of the World Cup following their loss to Spain on Monday.
Roberto Martinez’s team left the tournament in the round of 16 after Mikel Merino scored a late goal for Spain at the AT&T Stadium. The Arsenal player found the net in the 91st minute, ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup journey—which looked like his last—and leading Martinez to immediately resign as manager.
Portugal’s much-praised ‘Golden Generation’ faced criticism for a lack of creativity in big matches, but it was Manchester City defender Ruben Dias who spoke to the media afterward.
After the game, Dias was taken to the mixed zone where reporters usually ask players questions. Even in defeat, players are expected to share their honest thoughts about the match. However, Dias kept his answers very short and didn’t respond to any questions.
Journalist Zach Lowy, who was there, shared a video showing Dias in his Portugal outfit, standing in front of microphones. There was a delay as the press officer tried to find a Portuguese reporter to start asking questions. When a reporter finally began, Dias seemed frustrated because Spain’s match-winner Merino was being interviewed at the same time.
Dias raised his arm toward Merino, gave a look of annoyance to the media officer, then quickly left and didn’t come back. Ronaldo and Ruben Semedo did talk to the press later.
Though Dias didn’t do a traditional interview, he did sit down for a frank talk with former Portugal star Ricardo Quaresma on LiveMode TV. The conversation was honest and tense. Quaresma, who won Euro 2016 with Portugal, was very critical of the team’s poor showing.
“Everyone said this is Portugal’s best team ever, but best in what? What have they won?” he said. “We’re going home disappointed. In midfield we have great players, lots of talent, but they were very weak in this World Cup. The attack struggled too, and the defense was lost. It’s probably best if I stop or I might say more than I should.”
Many questioned Portugal’s tactics despite their talented squad and having many players in the World Cup. Dias defended the team’s approach, telling Quaresma: “You’ve been a player, so you know what each player needs. Playing well isn’t just about skill. You have to keep the ball, not waste energy chasing it, and be patient and efficient. It’s about finding the right balance.”
Quaresma disagreed, saying the team needs to play more aggressively to make the most of players like Rafael Leao, Pedro Neto, and Francisco Conceicao who excel in one-on-one situations.
Dias claimed, “We played our best game against Spain since I’ve been here,” but Quaresma wasn’t convinced, saying, “Everything went wrong from start to finish.” He added, “There wasn’t a match where we played well or attacked enough and just got unlucky. Even today, Spain controlled the whole game. They sped up or slowed down the pace whenever they wanted, and we were just there, without energy or joy, very slow.”
Before ending their talk, Dias and Quaresma shook hands. News is already coming out that Portugal may bring in experienced coach Jorge Jesus to replace Martinez.