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Cristiano Ronaldo was benched by Portugal manager Fernando Santos at the FIFA World Cup during the round of 16 clash against Switzerland.
The move came as a shock to all fans watching, as the former Manchester United star was considered the greatest in the country.
The UEFA Nation League winners had no issue on the pitch as they eased to a 6-1 win over the Swiss and sealed their place in the quarterfinals. Goncalo Ramos scored a hattrick while Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leao also got on the scoresheet to help their side win.
However, the move to bench Ronaldo was not taken lightly by his sister, Elma dos Santos Aveiro, and she took shots at the Portugal manager while congratulating the team. On her Instagram story, she wrote:
“Yes Ronaldo is not eternal, yes Ronaldo won’t play forever, unfortunately, he doesn’t score goals now, he’s old, Portugal doesn’t need Ronaldo [clapping emojis]. We talked about what we heard, all that he did isn’t important, all that he did was forgotten. Now they ask for forgiveness and they don’t need him. I will register that and later we’ll talk."
She added:
“Rui Santos, what will he apologise for? Now we we can f*** who we want. It is a shame to humiliate a man who has given so much, but later I will see a lot more.”
While Cristiano Ronaldo was an unused substitute in the 6-1 win over, he came off the bench in the 1-0 quarterfinals loss to Morocco.
Fernando Santos has no regrets over benching Cristiano Ronaldo
Fernando Santos was quizzed by the media and blasted by the fans for benching Cristiano Ronaldo at the FIFA World Cup. However, he has no regrets over his decision as he believed it was needed for the team to flourish.
He was quoted by ESPN as saying:
"I do not regret (leaving Ronaldo on the bench). It wouldn't change anything, in terms of the team I can't be thinking with my heart. I used the team that played really well against Switzerland and there was no reason to change it (against Morocco). The strategic decision that I had to make was one of the hardest, but I can't think with my heart, I have to think with my head. It's not that Ronaldo is no longer a great player, that has nothing to do with it."
The loss saw them knocked out of the FIFA World Cup, which was eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo's on-field rival, Lionel Messi.
