Manager Fernando Santos has claimed that Portugal have plans in place even without Cristiano Ronaldo at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The 37-year-old is in the twilight of his playing career and left Manchester United by mutual consent last month after a fiery interview with Piers Morgan. He started just four Premier League matches under manager Erik ten Hag ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
However, Santos has continued to play Portugal's No. 7 up front in his team. The Portuguese tactician was asked if his team has a plan in place if Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't feature for them later in the competition.
Santos replied at his pre-match press conference (h/t A Bola):
“Cristiano was substituted in the two games we played, so of course, there is a plan for him if he can't play. In addition, there is no player here who is guaranteed to play forever."
The former Real Madrid forward started for his country in their 3-2 group-stage win against Ghana on 24 November. He retained his position in the starting XI against Uruguay four days later, where his team won 2-0.
However, the Portuguese did not play 90 minutes in both games and was substituted in the dying embers of the match. Both times, it was 21-year-old SL Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos who took his place.
Portugal have Andre Silva, Ramos, and Joao Felix who can play as centre-forwards apart from Ronaldo. This list would have also contained Liverpool's Diogo Jota if he hadn't missed the World Cup in Qatar due to an injury.
Ronaldo has played in five FIFA World Cups for Portugal but there will come a time, possibly in 2026, when he won't appear in the competition anymore. Going by Santos' words, Portugal fans don't need to worry about the future of their team.
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is the only footballer to score at five different FIFA World Cup tournaments
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a 65th-minute penalty against Ghana in his team's 3-2 win and in the process, became the only player to score in five different FIFA World Cups.
Eight players have played for their respective countries five times in the grandest event in international football. But only one has scored at least one goal across five editions of the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored one goal each in his first three FIFA World Cups. His most productive outing was in Russia in 2018, where he netted four times in as many appearances.
He will be looking to add to his tally when his country takes on South Korea on Friday (2 December). A draw will confirm Portugal's position as Group H winners.
