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REAL MADRID-ATLÉTICO

Cristiano: "If everyone was at my level, we'd be top"

He wasn't biting his tongue after losing to Atleti: "I like playing with Karim, with Bale, with Marcelo. I'm not saying Jesé, Lucas or Kovacic aren't good players, but..."
Portugal vs Switzerland

Cristiano: "If everyone was at my level, we'd be top"
Denis DoyleGetty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo was not mincing his words as he reflected on Real Madrid's derby reverse to Atlético Madrid on Saturday afternoon.

Performances: "It annoys me that people say Cristiano's performances have suffered and that because of that Real Madrid have suffered. If everyone was at my level, we'd be top."

Injury absences the problem: "I don't know if it's because of bad preparation at the start of the season, but we're getting a lot of injuries and that works against us. I don't mean to be disparaging of anyone, any team-mate, but when your best players aren't there, [like Gareth] Bale, [Karim] Benzema... I like playing with Karim, with Bale, with Marcelo. I'm not saying that Jesé [Rodríguez], Lucas [Vázquez] or [Mateo] Kovacic aren't good players, but..."

Missing key individuals: "To win a competition you need your best players; we have our best players injured, unfortunately."

Barcelona: "In a competition played over the course of a long, hard season, you have to be the best side to win it. They're 12 points ahead of us [if they beat Sevilla on Sunday], so obviously they've been better than us."

Real boss Zinedine Zidane: "He's doing a phenomenal job. He's optimistic and he's calm, he's having a positive effect on the team. I'm very happy working with him."

Defeat: "We had more chances and we deserved to win, but that's football. The title was already a tough ask and now it's even tougher."