An African star has now addressed reports suggesting he said he "enjoyed seeing Cristiano Ronaldo cry" at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Morocco put on a historic showing at the recent tournament in Qatar, becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the showpiece and eventually finishing fourth in the competition after losing to Croatia in the third-place play-off.
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However, prior to their elimination by France in the semis, the Atlas Lions claimed some huge scalps, knocking out Spain in the round of 16, as well as Portugal in the quarter-finals.
After claiming a narrow 1-0 victory over the latter via a Youssef En-Nesyri strike, winger Sofiane Boufal was reported to have said he was pleased to see the five-time Ballon d'Or winner with tears in his eyes after that iconic win.
According to Qatari sports channel Alkass, the Al-Rayyan star said: "With all due respect to him [Ronaldo], but I enjoyed seeing him cry, rather than us crying. I prefer [Lionel Messi] Messi over Ronaldo and the club I wish to play for is Barcelona."
However, the 29-year-old has now denied ever making such comments about the Real Madrid legend, taking to Instagram to completely denounce the remarks as "Fake" with a cross emoji next to it.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, cut a disappointed figure when A Selecao were knocked out of the showpiece, penning an emotional message on Instagram.
"Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career," his post at the time read.
"Fortunately I won many titles of international dimension, including Portugal, but putting our country's name on the highest foot in the World was my biggest dream.
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"Sadly yesterday the dream ended. It's not worth reacting to heat. I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal hasn't changed for a moment.
"I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country."
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