Why Ronaldo Was Benched Against Switzerland In World Cup

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Why Portugal benched Cristiano Ronaldo against Switzerland in the World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo was benched by head coach Fernando Santos on Tuesday in advance of Portugal’s key match against Switzerland in the Round of 16.

The 37-year-old began each of Portugal’s first three games in Qatar, but it appears that Santos wants to take a different approach, starting Benfica attacker Goncalo Ramos over Ronaldo.

Following the revelation that Ronaldo had one of the poorest statistical performances in the competition thus far, whoscored made this statement. The former Manchester United attacker only managed to score one goal, which came from a controversially awarded penalty against Ghana.

For his actions on the field, however, Ronaldo had once more drawn criticism. Upon being replaced in the South Korea match, he was seen cursing and shooing away a rival player who was yelling at him to leave the field.

Regarding the incident, Santos responded as follows:

• “Have I seen the images? Yes, I didn’t like it, not at all. I didn’t like it. I really didn’t like it. But from that moment onwards everything is finished regarding that issue.
• These matters are resolved behind closed doors. It’s resolved. Full stop on this matter and now everyone is focused on tomorrow’s match.”

Santos, though, remained evasive about whether Ronaldo would lead the team against Switzerland throughout the interview and it now appears that his ultimate decision is not to even start the striker.

After a disappointing season and a turbulent exit from Manchester United, Ronaldo had hoped that this World Cup would give him the chance to demonstrate to prospective clubs what he can still offer. However, it appears to be just another problem in a long list of problems that are threatening to derail the end of his career.

During his interview with Piers Morgan, the celebrity footballer boasted about Fernando Santos, referring to him as one of the best coaches in the world.

Fernando Santos, the head coach of Portugal, explaining why Cristiano Ronaldo was sitting out:

“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”.