Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Santos have come a long way. The duo had known each other since Ronaldo’s time at Sporting and recently worked together at the World Cup. Since then, Santos has taken charge of the Poland National Team. In his recent interview, Santos has opened up on his decision to leave the Portuguese captain on the bench in the knockout stages. Despite the backlash from the fans and media alike, the former Portugal national team coach is not backing out on the controversial decision.

Portugal faced Switzerland in the round of 16, and the result was a comfortable 6-1 victory. There were talks that the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo contributed to a more fluid attacking system. The next match against Morocco was a different story. Despite dominating possession (26%-74%) Portugal lost 1-0 as they exited the tournament. Thus, Ronaldo and Portugal never worked out after all in Qatar!

Former Portugal coach details the reason behind the exclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo

In a recent interview, Santos talked about his reason for benching Cristiano. He said, “In the second half of 2022 he has six months that are terrible. Even in the soul aspect. It starts with that misfortune that befell your home and your family, which none of us will want to go through. That moment really affected him and then there’s the sporting part. Cristiano didn’t play pre-season. He didn’t train for two months.” 

Despite lauding Ronaldo’s fitness and work ethic, Santos had questions regarding his match rhythm. He added, “Anyway, in terms of the pace of the game, it was his worst moment. He had no rhythms.”

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While Portugals’s wait for the World Cup Trophy continues, Santos holds firm in his decisions. He remarked that the decisions he made were the most suitable tactical choices. Although Ronaldo did not have a memorable tournament, there was one talked about incident involving him.

Ronaldo’s ‘furious’ action after the South Korea Match

Notably, Ronaldo was substituted in the 65th minute of the game against South Korea. While leaving the pitch slowly, CR7 appeared to be swearing at the coach. He later addressed this as a response to a South Korean player. Yet, it is not clear how Santos would have taken to this.

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In the interview, Santos was asked whether this incident led to his exclusion from the team. He replied, “Zero! Forget. I’ve had many of these cases and I’ve never had any problems with anyone”. Perhaps Santos knew something that fans were not aware of!

Do you agree with Fernando Santos’s decision to bench Portugal’s greatest soccer player in the World Cup? Let us know in the comments below.

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