Carlo Ancelotti dismisses criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo's birthday party

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti sees no problem with Cristiano Ronaldo celebrating his 30th birthday in the hours after his side were thrashed 4-0 by city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Ronaldo came under criticism for the birthday festivities, with Spanish daily Marca even referring to the matter as "The Party of Discord" and claiming that several of the Portuguese superstar's teammates were unhappy about the party.

Ancelotti, however, is standing by Ronaldo and insists he has no doubt about the professionalism of his players.

"The party issue for me is not an issue," Ancelotti said, according to the Guardian. "I have never given an opinion on players' private lives and I am not going to start today. The problem is that some think this might affect the professionalism and seriousness of the players. 

"In that sense, I would note that this squad and these players have demonstrated their professionalism many times. My job is to evaluate the professionalism of the players and about that I have no doubt. There is no lack of motivation."

Atleti's 4-0 win pulled them within four points of Real Madrid, who sit at the top of the La Liga table with 54 points through 22 fixtures.