Ex-Portugal boss Fernando Santos claims Cristiano Ronaldo 'respected' his decision to bench him at 2022 World Cup
Former Portugal head coach Fernando Santos has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo respected his decision to bench the superstar at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The 2022 World Cup was not the best one for Ronaldo. In the last two matches of the competition, he was used as a substitute. Previously, Santos admitted that benching him against Switzerland in the Round of 16 was due to the 'angry' reaction portrayed by Ronaldo after taking him off against South Korea.
Goncalo Ramos was used in place of Ronaldo in the last 16. He scored a hat-trick, which helped Portugal secure a 6-1 win over the Swiss. As a result, Ramos started against Morocco in the quarter-final too.
Santos has now revealed that he enjoys a good relationship with the Portuguese legend. He also claimed that Ronaldo respected his decision to leave the star forward out of the playing XI.
The 70-year-old told Egyptian Channel 1 via O Jogo:
"Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player and my relationship with him has been good since 2004, before I coached the national team. Ronaldo sitting on the bench when I was Portugal coach was a vision that Cristiano respected and we still communicate."
Ronaldo meanwhile, was not at his best of forms in the 2022-23 season. In the entirety of the group stage, he managed to score only one goal, which came against Ghana in the opening clash, from a penalty. Apart from that, he wasn't able to score or impact the games.
Before the start of the quadrennial mega event, Ronaldo parted ways with Manchester United after a controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
Moreover, the budding days of the 2022-23 season saw him miss a part of pre-season due to personal or to be precise family reasons. Even at Manchester United, he was used from the bench by then-manager Erik ten Hag.
Cristiano Ronaldo's recent form
The 2022 World Cup is past for the Portuguese superstar as he is currently enjoying a gala time playing for the national team. In the UEFA Nations League, he has scored five goals in total.
He is also shining for his club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. In just 12 appearances in the Saudi Pro League, he has notched up 10 goals and two assists. Adding to the tally is his remarkable statistic from the AFC Champions League Elite. In four games, he has found the back of the net four times in the continent's biggest club competition.
Cristiano Ronaldo will next take the pitch in the Saudi Pro League against Al Akhdoud tomorrow (January 9, 2025).
