Cristiano Ronaldo snapped at reporter and threw his mic into lake after being angered by one question

Cristiano Ronaldo once snapped at a reporter and proceeded to throw his microphone in the lake after taking issue with his question.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has participated in many interviews over the years but he was not in the mood to answer a question back in 2016.

The Portugal captain was walking around Lyon, France with the rest of the squad ahead of a crunch Euro 2016 Group F clash against Hungary when the journalist from CMTV approached him.

But straight away, the former Manchester United superstar grabbed the microphone and hurled it into a nearby lake. Portugal officials briefly spoke to the journalist but he was left without a microphone and a comment from the Real Madrid legend.

The video quickly went viral and made huge headlines around the world, though many wondered what had been said to make Ronaldo react in such a manner.

However, the journalist in question, Diego Torres hinted at why Ronaldo responded to him in that way - admitting that his TV station have produced plenty of stories on him and his private life.

"I asked Ronaldo if he was prepared for the match," Torres said in an interview with BBC.

"He didn't answer. He grabbed my mic and threw it into the lake.

"I'm not sure why he did it. I think it was a momentary thing. I think he would not have done it if he had thought about it.

"We are a TV channel of a major newspaper in Portugal. We produce a lot of news about him. Some of it he doesn't like. Perhaps that's why he did it. But it wasn't a personal thing.

"I've not had an apology from Ronaldo or the team. We travelled to France on the same plane with the players and will fly back with them."

Cristiano Ronaldo threw the journalist's mic in the lake. Image: Getty

At the time, there was immense pressure on Ronaldo and Portugal after two poor performances and they went on to play out a 3-3 draw with Hungary - their third of the group. Fernando Santos' side progressed to the knockout stages in third spot despite failing to win a game.

And incredibly, Portugal would go all the way in France without winning a game in normal team. With Ronaldo animated on the sidelines after picking up a knee injury, substitute Eder score an extra time winner against the hosts to deliver the silverware.