Ronaldo tantrums are normal, says Nacho

Nacho Fernandez insists it is perfectly normal for Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo to get angry when he is substituted.

The Portugal star was visibly irked when he was taken off in the second half of Madrid's 2-1 LaLiga victory at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

It was suggested in the Spanish media that Ronaldo said to head coach Zinedine Zidane "why f****** me?" as he walked off, although the head coach later denied that the 32-year-old forward was particularly upset.

And Nacho says any other player would react the same way when they are taken off, telling Deportes Cope: "It's normal to get angry. Cristiano gets angry when he's replaced, just like Isco or anyone else does.

"It's important because that character is good."

Nacho also praised the impact of Madrid's 'BBC' front three of Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale after they all delivered strong performances in last weekend's win.

"The BBC are very important," he said. "They've given us trophies. They may have had some good times and some that were a little worse, but for us the BBC are vital."

Keylor Navas was another to impress against Ernesto Valverde's side, with a second-half stop to deny Inaki Williams the pick of a number of good saves.

There had been calls for the Costa Rica international to be dropped after some erratic performances but Nacho believes he has shown great mental fortitude to come through a tough spell.

"I heard him say that Madrid players are in the spotlight and it's true," said the Spain defender. "When you have a game that isn't so good, you're a target for criticism. 

"Keylor is very calm, he works every day. We all have bad days. He looks strong to me. You have to be strong psychologically and Keylor is.

"He's had two very good games and so he can take a break with the national team."