Portugal head coach Fernando Santos has explained the reason behind his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo against Switzerland.
Cristiano Ronaldo started on the bench against Switzerland and Portugal’s head coach Fernando Santos has explained the reason behind the bold decision.
Ronaldo has struggled in the ongoing 2022 Qatar World, having scored only one goal in four matches so far.
The former Manchester United forward made fresh headlines last week when he reacted in some way that didn’t please Fernando Santos upon leaving the pitch during Portugal’s 2-1 defeat to South Korea.
There were speculations that Portugal’s head coach would drop the 38-year-old forward as a message to the rest of the squad that he’s the main man in the team.
However, he did just that by replacing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner with Gonzalo Ramos and his decision didn’t backfire as the forward would go on to score three goals against the Swiss side.
On why he benched Ronaldo, Santos said: “Cristiano and Ramos are different players. There is no problem with the captain of the national team.
“We’ve been friends for many years. He set the example of a captain.”
There are suggestions that Cristiano Ronaldo would remain on the bench against Morocco in the quarter-final, thanks to Gonzalo Ramos’ form.