It was the first time since 2008 that Cristiano Ronaldo was not included in the starting XI for Portugal in a major international match. The Portugal coach opened his mouth about the matter.
Portugal’s star forward Cristiano Ronaldo stole all the limelight once again. Although he is often the center of attention because of his new record, the 37-year-old will not be happy about what happened to him on Tuesday night (December 7). Portugal played against Switzerland in the last 16 round of the current FIFA World Cup. But, Cristiano Ronaldo was not kept in the first eleven of this match.
Previously, in 2022, Ronaldo has hit the ball twice in Switzerland’s net. However, the ‘head sir’ of the Portugal football team, Fernando Santos, was not at all happy with Ronaldo’s behaviour. The reason is now unknown to anyone. Because in the last match of this tournament against South Korea, he showed quite ineffective. To be honest, it looked like he might have entered the field as a replacement.
Ronaldo was picked up by Santos after 65 minutes of the match against South Korea. But, while leaving the field, he made some gestures that the Portugal coach did not like at all. Although Santos himself said, ‘I have known Ronaldo for a long time. My relationship with him was always very good. By the time I arrived in Portugal in 2014, Ronaldo had become a star in the national team. I had no misunderstanding with him. I still think that Ronaldo is a very important footballer in this team.’
In this context, let us inform you that this is the first time since 2008 that Ronaldo has not been included in the first eleven of the team in an important international match for Portugal. Santos also added, ‘Ronaldo’s controversial gesture in the South Korea match has nothing to do with not being in the team’s starting XI against Switzerland. That matter has already been resolved. We should also keep in mind what Ronaldo has done for this team in the past. He is one of the best footballers in the team. It should be noted that his relationship with Manchester United club has also been severed due to this disciplinary violation a few days ago.
