Despite Portugal’s 6-1 victory against Switzerland on Wednesday in the FIFA World Cup 2022 match to advance to the quarterfinals and set up a meeting with Morocco, Cristiano Ronaldo had a forgettable evening. As Portugal erupted and Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick, Ronaldo started the game on the subs’ bench.
After the 37-year-egregious old’s behavior following his substitution against South Korea, manager Fernando Santos benched him. The superstar entered the game with 17 minutes remaining and his team leading 5-1. Ronaldo scored, but it was ruled that his goal was offside.
Ronaldo was seen walking away into the dressing room while his teammates celebrated on the pitch
In a video doing the rounds on social media, Ronaldo was seen walking away into the dressing room while his teammates celebrated on the pitch after the match. After the game, Santos refuted the claim that Ronaldo was benched for having a bad attitude.
Goal.com cited Santos as saying to reporters following the victory: “I have told it (the circumstance behind Ronaldo’s release), so I won’t repeat myself. They represent various players. It was a matter of game strategy; each player is unique. I also launched Dalot and Raphael, but Cancelo is also a fantastic player. I believed we would require it for this game against Switzerland.”
He added: “There is no problem between Fernando Santos and the captain of the national team (Ronaldo), we’ve been friends for many years. Players make decisions. Things do not affect us. I already explained, that part was completely resolved and he set a great example of a great captain.”
