Andre Silva hails Cristiano Ronaldo for silencing his critics

Portugal international Andre Silva has heaped praise on his skipper Cristiano Ronaldo, who has managed to silence his critics throughout his professional career.

The four-time Champions League winner is currently serving a five-match domestic ban after he shoved referee Ricardo de Burgos during the first leg of Real Madrid's Spanish Super Cup triumph over Barcelona.

The European champions followed to make an appeal against the decision without much success meaning that he will not be available for Los Blancos until their game against Real Betis on September 20.

Regardless of this, Ronaldo is an automatic choice in the Portugal setup, and he is expected to play a key part in the World Cup qualifiers against Faroe Islands and Hungary.

In a news conference, Silva admitted that Ronaldo has once again managed to shut up his critics, and expects the 32-year-old to put up a performance in the national shirt, he said: "He manages to shut many mouths that speak badly of him. We all have the certainty that he will do a good job. Football is not a bed of roses. There are many injustices."

Portugal are currently second in their qualifying group behind Switzerland who hold a three point advantage. Despite this, the Euro 2016 holders are still deemed favourites to top their group as a victory over the Swiss would give them the advantage due to a superior goal difference.

Ronaldo still has four years left on his present deal at Real Madrid, and he is unlikely to leave the Bernabeu any time soon with the club on the cusp of creating history in Europe. No team had won the Champions League in succession in the modern era, but Los Blancos have already shattered the record, and are now targeting a hat-trick of European titles. Zinedine Zidane's side are placed fifth in the La Liga table after two games played.