Portugal have denied claims Cristiano Ronaldo was so upset after being dropped by manager Fernando Santos against Switzerland that he threatened to leave the World Cup.
The 37-year-old was surprisingly left out of his nation’s starting XI for their thumping 6-1 victory over the Swiss in Tuesday’s last-16 tie, with replacement Goncalo Ramos justifying his manager’s decision by netting a brilliant hat-trick.
Ronaldo came on as a late substitute though looked off the pace and he headed straight down the tunnel after the full-time whistle rather than staying on the pitch to celebrate with the rest of the squad.
Santos is believed to have been annoyed with Ronaldo’s reaction to being subbed in their group stage defeat to South Korea, with Portuguese channel CMTV claiming the former Manchester United forward said, ‘You’re in a f***ing hurry to take me off’ when he exited the pitch.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had also put his finger to his lips and shushed a South Korean player who wanted him to leave the field quicker, with Santos saying he ‘did not like’ the reaction afterwards.
According to Portuguese newspaper Record, it was after that drama that the veteran coach decided he would bench Ronaldo against Switzerland and the forward was livid when he was informed.
Incredibly, Record claim Ronaldo got into a heated row with Santos and threatened to leave the World Cup entirely, with the former Real Madrid superstar unhappy with the role he has been given at the tournament.
Ronaldo is said to have calmed down eventually and backtracked on his threat, though the Portuguese FA have now released a statement denying Record’s report.
‘News released on Thursday claims Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during a conversation with national coach Fernando Santos,’ read the statement. ‘The FPF wants to clarify that at no time did national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo threaten to leave the national team during the tournament in Qatar.
‘Cristiano Ronaldo continues to build on his unique record of service to the national team, which should be respected and which attests to his unquestionable degree of commitment to the national team.’
The statement added: ‘The national team – players, coaches and the FPF structure – are fully committed and enthusiastic, as has been the case since day one, to building what we hope will be Portugal’s best ever World Cup.’
All eyes were on the Portugal skipper during the national anthems as he took his place on the bench and he seemed to be content in his reduced role against Switzerland, racing down the side-line to celebrate his team’s goals.
But, after making a prompt exit after the match, he then did not train with the rest of Portugal’s substitutes and unused players on Wednesday, instead electing to do gym work with those players who had started the match.
Ronaldo has endured a dramatic few weeks since the Premier League season went on hiatus, with his contract at Manchester United terminated following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which he slammed the club’s hierarchy and said he would ‘never respect’ Erik ten Hag.
He has since been linked with a shock move to Saudi Arabia after being offered a record-breaking salary to play for Al-Nassr, though he denied reports that he has accepted the contract, saying: ‘No, that’s not true.’
Portugal are next in action on Saturday when they take on Morocco in the quarter-final and Santos faces a massive dilemma over whether to stick with hat-trick hero Ramos or restore Ronaldo to the team.
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