Cristiano Ronaldo benched again for Morocco quarter-final at World Cup, but why has he been dropped?
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Updated 11/12/2022 at 08:50 GMT
Has Cristiano Ronaldo been talked about enough already? Perhaps, but it is almost impossible to keep the former Manchester United forward out of the news currently after he was dropped to the substitutes' bench for Portugal's last-16 encounter with Switzerland, and then again for the quarter-final with Morocco. What happens now for the falling star? Let’s dive in.
'We are all united' - Otavio rejects reports Ronaldo wanted to leave Portugal camp
Cristiano Ronaldo was named on the bench again for Portugal's quarter-final against Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, having already missed out on the starting XI in the emphatic 6-1 win over Switzerland in the last 16.
Goncalo Ramos hit a hat-trick as Portugal hammered the Swiss at the Lusail Stadium with the forward having come into the side after Fernando Santos took the huge decision to drop Ronaldo for the match. Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leao were also on the scoresheet as Portugal laid down a marker ahead of their quarter-final against Morocco with the 37-year-old clearly not missed by his team.
Ronaldo did still emerge from the substitutes' bench to play some part in the match - but as became the case at Manchester United before his high-profile forced exit, he is having to make do with being an impact sub rather than a starter.
And his fears that he has been reduced to a bit-part player were heightened on Saturday when he was named among the substitutes for the last-eight meeting at Al Thumama Stadium. However after Morocco took the lead just before the break, Santos sent him on to try and change the game. However that ultimately proved impossible as Morocco created history and sent Portugal packing.
Ronaldo broke down in tears as he disappeared down the tunnel after the shock defeat, with his international future now in question after Portugal's exit in Qatar. Could he ever accept a new reduced role within the Portugal squad?
Let's recap what the fall-out has been to Ronaldo being dropped amid hysterical reports of the forward apparently threatening to walk out on his team, reports that were refuted but not successfully dismissed from the relentless news cycle surrounding the star.
But first...
Why was Ronaldo dropped by Santos at the World Cup?
Ronaldo, who had started all three group matches in the tournament, scoring once, looked to have been thoroughly displeased when he was substituted in Portugal’s 2-1 defeat by South Korea.
Raising his finger to his lips, the player claimed it was a misunderstanding and that he was actually just directing his ire towards an opposition player, although many did not buy that reasoning and interpreted it to be towards his manager.
“I didn’t like it,” said Santos pretty emphatically ahead of the Switzerland game and subsequently left his captain on the bench. Was it because of his reaction to being substituted? It is not entirely clear but that does seem to be a reasonable explanation.
Alternatively, Santos may have just made the decision on purely footballing grounds, sensing what many pundits and fans thought all along: that Portugal would be more energetic, vibrant and team-oriented without their star man in the starting line-up.
If this was the reason, that Santos simply wanted to confine Ronaldo to the bench to enable his other players to flourish in his absence, it certainly worked.
Speaking after the game, the 68-year-old quickly downplayed any suggestions of a rift with Ronaldo, saying: “There is no problem with our captain. We’ve been friends for years. We spoke before the game and he had no issue with my decision. He’s an example.”
Ramos, Ronaldo's highly-successful replacement, added of the man he had usurped: "He’s the captain, he’s the leader and we always look forward to playing side by side with him.”
As for the ever-influential Pepe? "Ronaldo is happy and totally focused," he said. "He knows the most important thing is the national team."
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Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal warms up prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Switzerland at Lusail Stadium on December 06, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar
Image credit: Getty Images
What has been the fall-out to Ronaldo being dropped at the World Cup?
Widespread rumours that Ronaldo threatened to walk out on the Portugal team at the 2022 World Cup were denied by the Portuguese Football Federation.
Following the match, reports in the Portuguese press emerged claiming that the 37-year-old was so displeased at his exclusion that he was on the brink of quitting the tournament.
However, the FPF swiftly moved quickly to quash the suggestion, insisting that Ronaldo remains committed to the team and their goals for the remainder of the competition.
"News released this Thursday reports that Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during a conversation with Fernando Santos, national coach," a statement read.
"The FPF clarifies that at no time did the captain of the national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, threaten to leave the national team during the internship in Qatar.
“Cristiano Ronaldo builds up a unique track record every day at the service of the national team and the country, which must be respected and which attests to the unquestionable degree of commitment to the national team.”
On Friday, Santos and Joao Felix both rubbished suggestions at a potential rift within the squad.
Santos told the media: "I think it’s high time to leave Ronaldo alone. He has never told me that he wanted to leave our national team and I think it’s high time we stopped with this conversation, that we stop with the polemics. I spoke to him after lunch on the day of the game and invited him into my office.
"For obvious reasons, Cristiano was not very happy about it as he has always been the starting player. He told me: ‘Do you really think it’s a good idea?’ but we had a normal conversation in which I explained my viewpoints, and of course, he accepted them. We had a frank and normal conversation."
Felix added: "I would like to leave a message to the Portuguese people and to the press. Portugal is in a great competition. We haven’t reached the quarter-finals for a long time. We should all be closer together and not try to get the atmosphere worse."
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Image credit: Getty Images
What has the reaction been to Ronaldo's behaviour at the World Cup?
All and sundry have thrown in their thoughts on this hot debate so we will not dig up every last word from every last talking head, but here are a few choice words from select pundits.
Former Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville hit out at Ronaldo, insisting he stop sulking.
“The petulance, the stomping around, the sulking… it's got to stop because it doesn't reflect well on him at all," he said.
“His long-term legacy is set, he's protected, he's one of the all-time great players, but in the short-term, he's got to do a lot better because… is the Juventus manager wrong? Is the Manchester United manager wrong? And now, is the Portugal manager wrong? There's three of them that now have done the same thing with him.”
With the likes of Felix - still only 23 - also impressing in the win over Switzerland, it led Ian Wright to speculate on the future prospects of Portugal without Ronaldo.
"That's a team that can easily go all the way," ex-England striker Wright began on ITV Sport. "He [Ronaldo] could still really contribute to this team without maybe having to do so much, because this team can do it without him.
"They've proved that before in the Euros [winning in 2016] and they've done it today. They were dynamic without him. If he just gets it all right in his head, he could still end up scoring the winning goal for them in the final."
Roy Keane, speaking to Sky Bet, semi-defended his former team-mate: "Are footballers supposed to be perfect? Cristiano Ronaldo had this attitude 10 years ago, but the following game he would score a hat-trick, and he was 27 - everyone would forgive him. People say that he makes teams worse - Juventus haven’t done anything since he left them a couple of years ago.
"Against Switzerland, the Portugal manager made a correct decision to replace Ronaldo with someone who offered more mobility up front. He [Ramos] scores a hat trick, and everyone looks straight to Ronaldo. I always thought there could be a chance that Ronaldo wouldn’t start a World Cup knockout game for Portugal – he’s 37!"
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