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Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped to the bench for Portugal's Round of 16 game against Switzerland. Ronaldo's only goal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup came from a penalty in their 3-2 win over Ghana. The 37-year-old has been in poor form and has not fared well in Qatar.
His replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a brilliant hat-trick in the Round of 16 game against Switzerland. Portugal were rampant and their free-flowing attack flourished in Ronaldo's absence. As such, it looks like the former Manchester United forward could be benched for the quarter-finals as well.
Ronaldo is not used to being benched and particularly so in crucial games. Without further ado, let's take a look at five times he was dropped for a crucial match.
#5 Manchester United vs Chelsea (22 October 2022)
Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped to the bench in Manchester United's 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Ronaldo hadn't been at his best and United played arguably their best football under Erik ten Hag against Spurs.
Ten Hag asked Ronaldo to come on as a substitute in the dying embers of the game. The 37-year-old refused to come on and stormed off the pitch. He confirmed this himself in his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. He said:
"It's something that I regret to leave from the stadium — let's say I regret, but in the same way I felt provoked by the coach. Not allowed for me, a coach to put me in three minutes in a game. Sorry, I'm not that kind of player."
Ten Hag reprimanded Ronaldo and dropped him from the squad altogether for Manchester United's crucial Premier League encounter against Chelsea just three days later.
#4 Manchester United vs Manchester City (2 October 2022)
Manchester United were dealt their harshest loss of the 2022-23 season so far in early October. They were beaten 6-3 by Manchester City and Ten Hag chose to go with Marcus Rashford as the centre-forward for the game.
Anthony Martial was brought on in the second half and he immediately improved the side, scoring two goals as the Red Devils added a modicum of respectability to the scoreline. Ronaldo did not feature at all and Ten Hag said that he didn't bring him on out of respect for the legendary Portuguese forward's legacy.
He said (via SkySports):
"I didn't bring him on out of respect for his big career."
#3 Real Madrid vs Barcelona (14 August 2017)
Ronaldo was benched for an El Clasico? Yes, he was. He came on as a substitute in the first leg of the 2016-17 Spanish Super Cup. Gerard Pique's own goal had given Real Madrid the lead, but Lionel Messi restored parity after converting a penalty in the 77th minute.
Ronaldo, who came on as a substitute, scored a wonderful goal from the edge of the box just three minutes later to restore his side's lead. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner took his shirt off and mimicked Messi's celebration at the Santiago Bernabeu in the El Clasico in April 2017.
Ronaldo was shown a yellow card for taking his shirt off. Moments later, he was sent off after picking up a second yellow for simulation.
#2 Manchester United vs Liverpool (22 August 2022)
After losing their first two Premier League games of the 2022-23 season, Manchester United were desperate to get off the mark. Ten Hag was looking for his first win as United boss and they had their work cut out as they came up against Liverpool in their third game.
Ten Hag shuffled his pack and dropped Ronaldo to the bench. Manchester United played some exciting football that night and beat the Merseysiders 2-1 much to the surprise of everyone. The Dutch coach explained his decision to drop Ronaldo in his post-match interview. He said (via The Metro):
"We know Liverpool are a really good team and you need to press them. You have to do that out of a block and need energy, that is why we went with Rashford, Sancho, Elanga."
Ronaldo did come on as a substitute in the dying embers of the game.
#1 Portugal vs Switzerland (6 December 2022)
The majority of football fans were surprised when Portugal's starting lineup for the Round of 16 was revealed. Ronaldo was benched for the first time at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 21-year-old striker Goncalo Ramos was named as his replacement.
The Portuguese attack flourished in Ronaldo's absence. They put the ball in Switzerland's net a whopping six times and Ramos scored a hat-trick. Ronaldo came on as a substitute with a little over 15 minutes left on the clock.
He did find the back of the net with a well-taken finish but the goal was chalked off for offside.
