Cristiano Ronaldo's frequent visits to Morocco may have landed him in trouble with Real Madrid management.
Spanish newspaper Sport reports that Ronaldo jetted across to north Africa after scoring a hat trick in Real Madrid's 6-0 defeat of Espanyol on Sunday, taking advantage of a two-day break granted to the club's staff.
But, according to the report, Ronaldo has been banned by Madrid President Florentino Perez from making trips to Morocco during the football season to see his kickboxer friend Badr Hadri.
Sport claims Perez sees Hadri, the Moroccan-Dutch kickboxer, as a "negative influence" on Ronaldo.
But with Real Madrid not in training again until Wednesday morning, Ronaldo took his private jet to Morocco.
Ronaldo has made a habit of visiting Morocco in recent months. In December, The Mirror reported that he had thrown a "crazy party" in Agadir, on the country's Atlantic coast, and that Madrid was "concerned" by his frequent trips abroad.
Madrid treats Ronaldo with reverence, as was shown earlier this month when leaked contract details from the Gareth Bale signing suggested that the club may have tried to protect the Portuguese forward's status as the world's most expensive player.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Sportswriter at Newsweek.
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
