‘It’s fashionable to bash Ronaldo’ – Portugal boss defends Cristiano after quit reports

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
• 3 min read

Portugal head coach Fernando Santos has claimed it has become “fashionable to bash Cristiano Ronaldo” as he lifted the lid on the conversation that he had with the former Manchester United striker to tell him he was dropped for the last-16 World Cup encounter against Switzerland.

Ronaldo, who was released by mutual consent by Man Utd in November after a spectacular falling out with the Old Trafford club, was reported to have acted in a frustrated manner after being told the news – with a report in Portugal even stating that he threatened to quit the World Cup squad.

The Portuguese FA responded rapidly to that suggestion by denying it in no uncertain terms, and now Santos has given his version of events.

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What did Santos say about Ronaldo?

“The conversation happened – it would have been bad if it didn’t happen,” the coach explained. “Since I arrived, I’ve only named the team an hour and a half before the game, I write it on the board.

“I don’t do that with everyone, but with Ronaldo, who is the captain and someone so important in terms of what he projects and represents for Portugal and the team, I had to have this conversation. It happened on game day after lunch.

“I explained to him the reasons why he wasn’t going to play. I let him know. We had the talk in my office, in which I told him that I wasn’t counting on him from the start of this game. I thought that by coming on in the second half, he could provide a solution in that game.

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“Was Cristiano satisfied? No. He tends to always play in the starting XI so it’s normal that he wasn’t very pleased. It was a perfectly normal and relaxed conversation. Never, at any time, did he tell me that he wanted to leave the national team.

“I think it's time we stopped some things. It's a bit fashionable just to bash Ronaldo. If there's a better example, it's the example he set in the game. He was the one who shouted in the dugout, he jumped up to celebrate all the goals, I saw him on TV clapping along with Joao Mario. Leave Ronaldo alone!”

Ronaldo, who is a free agent, is seeking a new club, with Arsenal and Chelsea in the Premier League interested, but Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League the likeliest solution.