According to the portal Goal, the Special One allegedly said that the Portuguese national team would be "a completely ordinary team" without Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad.
However, a source from the club at Luz assured that "the statements attributed to José Mourinho in the last few hours about the Portugal and Brazil national teams are completely false."
"The SL Benfica coach has not made any statements to anyone; this is pure fabrication," an official source from the encarnados stated.
According to what has been reported in the international press, Mourinho supposedly defended Cristiano Ronaldo's presence in the team after the 0-0 draw with Mexico in the early hours of Sunday: "There was a lack of attacking power and nothing to trouble the opposition. On the contrary, Portugal ended up under pressure from Mexico. When Ronaldo is on the pitch, opponents think twice. Without him, they don't even think about it."
As for the canarinha, some international media outlets also echoed a fake quote from the coach criticizing Neymar's absence.