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Gary Neville believes Cristiano Ronaldo may have been dropped from Portugal's starting XI against Switzerland on December 6 due to his attitude problems.
He was constantly benched in domestic games by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and made just four Premier League starts this season. The lack of consistent playing time and the absence of UEFA Champions League football ultimately drove Ronaldo away from Old Trafford.
He left the club by mutual consent last month. Since the end of the 2021-22 season, Cristiano Ronaldo has twice walked out of Old Trafford before the full-time whistle.
Ronaldo was recently seen 'shushing' a South Korean player after being substituted in his team's 2-1 group-stage loss on 2 December. The antics did not sit right with manager Fernando Santos, who hinted that Ronaldo could be dropped from the last 16 clash against Switzerland.
Speaking after the Portugal line-up was released, Neville said on ITV (h/t Mirror):
"When it happened it United [Ronaldo being benched], it was the suggestion it was because [Erik] Ten Hag was trying to make a move on him, establish his authority."
"This is a manager [Santos] who’s got an unbelievable relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo for eight years and there are a lot of fans of Cristiano Ronaldo who aren’t willing to tell him the truth. And I think he does need to listen to the truth, that it’s becoming a little bit of a scruffy end."
Neville, who played alongside Ronaldo during his first stint at Manchester United, continued:
"It wouldn’t surprise me if he came on tonight and scored the winner, but the petulance, the stomping around, the sulking, it’s got to stop because it doesn’t reflect on him well."
"His legacy is set, that’s protected as one of the greatest football players of all time. But in the short term, he’s got to do a lot better."
Cristiano Ronaldo makes substitute appearance as Portugal cruise to 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals
Cristiano Ronaldo did come on as a substitute against Switzerland in the 73rd minute but failed to get on the scoresheet for the third time in Qatar.
Goncalo Ramos, who started in place of Ronaldo, opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Pepe doubled the lead a couple of minutes after the 30-minute mark.
Ramos scored within six minutes of the second half before Raphael Guerreiro made it 4-0 on the day. Manuel Akanji pulled one back before the SL Benfica striker completed his hat-trick.
Ronaldo came on in the 73rd minute but was ineffective for the remainder of the match. Rafael Leao scored the sixth and final goal of the game to ensure Portugal's passage to the quarter-finals, where they will now face Morocco.
