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Portugal manager Fernando Santos has revealed the reason for benching Cristiano Ronaldo against Spain in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday, 2 June. When asked why he did not start with the Manchester United forward, Santos simply called it a tactical decision.
The Euro 2016 winners grabbed a late 1-1 draw after Ricardo Horta equalized in the 82nd minute after Alvaro Morata had given Spain the lead in the first half in Seville. Ronaldo started the game on the bench, with Santos preferring an attacking trio of Rafael Leao, Andre Silva and Otavio.
The Portuguese manager believed that Ronaldo would have had a more significant impact coming off the bench. Speaking after their 1-1 draw against Spain, the Portugal manager was quoted as saying the following (via the Indian Express):
“Cristiano Ronaldo? They often ask why he is a starter. It’s the million-dollar question. I understood that for this game it was better to use the players I used. It was a technical and tactical option for this game. It seemed to us the best solution. For the way we wanted to play and approach the game. It has nothing to do with Cristiano’s quality, that’s not even in question."
He added:
"There are moments in the game when you have to think in a different way. We believed that in the second half he could come in and solve the game.”
Cristiano Ronaldo had a great personal season with Manchester United. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored 24 goals and provided three assists in 38 games for the Red Devils across all competitions.
Portugal will rely on Cristiano Ronaldo for World Cup glory later this year
Despite being 37 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo will carry the weight of exceptions from an entire nation during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The tournament in the Middle East could be Ronaldo's final opportunity to lift international football's biggest trophy.
It is worth mentioning that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be Cristiano Ronaldo's fifth consecutive World Cup appearance for Portugal. The closest he came to winning the tournament was back in 2006 when Portugal finished fourth after losing the semi-final to France.
Portugal have been drawn alongside Ghana, South Korea and Uruguay in the group stages of the World Cup. Their first game will be against Ghana on November 24 in Doha.
