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Cristiano Ronaldo was prepared to leave Portugal's 2022 FIFA World Cup squad following a tense confrontation with manager Fernando Santos, according to Portuguese outlet Record.
According to the report, Santos was not pleased with Ronaldo's reaction to being substituted in the game against South Korea. Santos was prepared to strip Ronaldo from the captaincy for their Round of 16 tie against Switzerland due to the incident.
The Portugal boss, however, dropped Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting XI for their game against Switzerland which did not go down well with the forward.
Ronaldo was reportedly ready to leave Qatar altogether following heated talks with the manager. However, he later calmed down and changed his mind later on.
The former Manchester United forward is not having the best of times in both his club and international career. Prior to the start of the World Cup, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had his contract with the Red Devils terminated.
This was down to a controversial interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticized the United owners and manager Erik ten Hag.
Cristiano Ronaldo has also failed to impress at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. At the time of writing, the Portugal forward has scored just one goal in the entire tournament. His solitary goal came during Portugal's opening game against Ghana, where he scored a penalty in a 3-2 win.
Portugal thrashed Switzerland in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence
Ronaldo's absence from the starting XI did not hamper Santos' side in the Round of 16 against Switzerland. The Euro 2016 winners secured an emphatic 6-1 victory over the Swiss.
Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos replaced Ronaldo in the starting XI and scored a hat-trick. Stand-in captain Pepe, Rafael Leao and Raphael Guerreiro were the other goalscorers on that occasion.
Ronaldo, however, did enter the pitch as a second-half substitute with 16 minutes remaining, replacing Joao Felix.
It will be difficult for the forward to break into the starting XI now, with Portugal clicking without their star forward. Santos' side take on Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on 10 December.
Morocco secured a shock victory over Spain in the Round of 16 after beating them in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw after 120 minutes.
Portugal have a chance of reaching their first World Cup semi-finals since 2006, which was Ronaldo's first-ever World Cup. A Selecao lost to France in the semi-finals and then suffered a 3-1 defeat to hosts Germany in the third-place playoff.
