Cristiano Ronaldo: Dimitri Payet bizarrely confirms that his kids will be allowed to say Real Madrid star’s name after all
West Ham star backtracks on claim that his kids aren't allowed to mention Ballon d'Or winner after worrying that fans may have taken his joke too seriously
DIMITRI PAYET has confirmed that his kids are still allowed to say Cristiano Ronaldo's name.
In an interview with Sport 24, the West Ham midfielder had said Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo's name was banned from his house after France's loss to Portugal in Euro 2016.
He said: "I have kids, so I can understand the image that footballers have.
"They are fans of some players, I see in their eyes. They admire and try to imitate their gestures, their words, their celebrations.
"They love Ronaldo and Messi. Since Euro 2016, though, they have no right to pronounce the name of Ronaldo!"
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It was pretty clear to most fans that Payet was joking about the Real Madrid star, but he has still felt the need to backtrack on his previous interview.
He told RMC Sport today: "I have nothing against Ronaldo. I think that this controversy was brought up because he was injured in the match after contact with me.
"My kids love Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar. Obviously, these are the best players in the world, so I do not see why I would ban my son."
Payet injured Cristiano Ronaldo with a controversial tackle early in the Euro 2016 final and is clearly worried that some of the Portugal captain's fans haven't forgiven him.
After being substituted in the first half, Ronaldo made his influence felt from the touchline of the Stade de France, bellowing out instructions to his teammates alongside manager Fernando Santos.
And Portugal pulled off a shock 1-0 extra time win with Eder firing into the bottom corner from 30 yards out.
Not a lot has gone right for Payet since that match with West Ham struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
But back to back 1-0 home wins over Burnley and Hull have at least seen them move away from the relegation places and up to 12th.
Hammers fans voted the goalpost "man of the match" on Saturday after the Tigers hit the woodwork three times at the London Stadium.