Portugal are taking on Switzerland in the World Cup round of 16 tonight – but Cristiano Ronaldo is not part of the starting lineup.
The former Manchester United man has been left out of the team by manager Fernando Santos, who has instead gone with Goncalo Ramos for the crunch clash with the Swiss.
Ronaldo is the leading goalscorer in the history of the Portuguese national team and scored his eighth World Cup goal in the group stage win over Ghana, and remains one behind Lionel Messi on nine.
Here is why Ronaldo is not playing Switzerland this evening.
Why is Cristiano Ronaldo not playing against Switzerland?
The exact reasons behind Santos electing to start Ronaldo from the bench are not specifically known, but it could be in relation to how the five time Ballon d’Or winner reacted to being substituted in the game against South Korea.
Ronaldo acted angrily after being withdrawn midway through the second half of Friday’s defeat, and put his index finger to his lips as he left the field.
However, Ronaldo has claimed that he was performing the hushing gesture at South Korea striker Cho Gue-sung who was telling him to hurry up when he was leaving the pitch.
Santos said he was unhappy with Ronaldo’s conduct, saying yesterday: ‘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.’
But there have also been calls back home in Portugal to drop Ronaldo based purely on form.
The 37 year-old has had an underwhelming World Cup so far and Portugal’s attack arguably looks more fluid without the icon’s presence on the pitch.
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