Cristiano Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, has said the Real Madrid star showed his professionalism by representing Portugal at the 2014 World Cup when other players would have missed the tournament through injury.
Ronaldo was dogged by a persistent tendinosis in his left knee through the first half of 2014, missing a number of key games for Real Madrid, including the Copa del Rey final.
Ronaldo returned to play and score in the Champions League final before taking another break to work on his fitness and then taking part in the World Cup in Brazil, but he failed to produce his best form as Portugal crashed out at the group stage.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has consistently said that the forward has now completely recovered from the problem, although Ronaldo himself said after last month's Copa Del Rey exit to Atletico Madrid that he was not 100 percent fit and had grown used to playing through pain.
Speaking at the launch of the Portuguese version of new authorised biography "The Mendes Key," the agent said Ronaldo had shown his commitment by going to Brazil when any other player would have missed the tournament.
"It is obvious that he would have rested more had he not been so professional," Mendes said in Marca. "He always wants to play. Another player would not have gone [to the World Cup]. Off the pitch he is an example to kids in how he manages his day-to-day life."
Ronaldo, who turns 30 on Feb. 5, has scored 36 goals in all competitions this season.
Mendes, who is also involved in third-party funds that invest in talented young players in the expectation of making a profit on the transfer marker, also hit out at plans by FIFA to ban such businesses from football.
He said any outright ban would be "illegal," while claiming third-party investment funds "have a dark image that does not exist."
He claimed such investors give smaller clubs "the right to finance themselves to compete at a high level," adding: "Nobody can stop a player from going to a better club, from having a better job."
According to news agency EFE, Mendes also argued that clients of his, including Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez and Manchester United pair Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, would not have had the chance to reach the top without the use of investment funds earlier in their careers.