Diogo Dalot plays a big role in the Man Utd dressing room and he is a leader for his club and his country.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo Dalot
Diogo Dalot has a strong relationship with former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo
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If Portugal needed a safe pair of hands to get through a press conference that was going to be dominated by questions about Cristiano Ronaldo, there was only ever one place they were going to turn.
Diogo Dalot didn't play a single minute against DR Congo, but he stepped up to try and cool the temperature ahead of an absolutely crucial game against Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
The Manchester United right-back is a dressing room leader for club and country, and an under-rated one at that. He is also something of a Ronaldo-whisperer, having developed a strong bond with the 41-year-old, both at Old Trafford and for Portugal.
He was always going to leap to the defence of the under-fire star, but he is also one of the players who could most get through to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. Ronaldo picked Dalot as his best United teammate shortly before he left the club, and the way he spoke about the full-back clearly suggested he believes they share similar characteristics.
“I can mention probably Dalot. Diogo Dalot is an example. He is young, but he is very, very professional," Ronaldo said. “And I’m not doubting that he’s going to have longevity in football because he’s young, he’s smart, intelligent, and is very professional."
Dalot's leadership and professionalism might have been why he was chosen to try and douse the flames of another major tournament for the Portuguese that is threatening to be engulfed by a Ronaldo-induced drama.
The veteran forward wasn't the only member of Roberto Martinez's side to underperform last week, but as expected, the scrutiny focused on him, although Dalot revealed the squad had already prepared for this exact scenario.
"It's very simple. In the locker room, at our stadium, we had the opportunity before arriving at the World Cup to have a detailed conversation about this [social media and criticism]," he said.
"It was almost as if we'd anticipated that this would happen. Of course, when you have a squad like this, especially with a player like Cristiano, we have to be prepared, a little more than usual."
"The fact that we had that pre-World Cup conversation to prepare ourselves for these moments meant that when it actually happened, we were able to send the message that the group is unshakable -- we knew this was going to happen. We knew we'd face difficulties and criticism. Sometimes unfair, sometimes untrue, and often blown out of proportion."
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Perhaps some players do privately believe Portugal would be better off without Ronaldo, or that he could have a bigger impact coming off the bench, but Dalot was never going to be one of them and he took the opportunity to deliver a pep talk to his countryman.
"Everyone already knows how well Cristiano handles criticism. He has over 20 years of experience with the national team," Dalot said. "I think what he conveys to the team, that confidence, those criticisms are just part of the game, especially given the level at which we're capable of playing, being in one of the biggest, if not the biggest, competitions in the world.
"The confidence he instils in us, and we in him, has always been the same and always will be. As long as he represents the national team, I think he'll always have that ability and will always be ready to play."
If Dalot and Bruno Fernandes are to have any chance of success in North America over the next month, then they need Ronaldo to come to the party, and Dalot is doing all he can to make sure that happens.