[골닷컴] Reporter Kim Dong-ho = News broke out that Cristiano Ronaldo was about to leave the team during the World Cup. However, the Portuguese Football Association denied this.
Portuguese media ‘Hekord’ said on the 8th (Korean time), “I was about to leave the World Cup team after hearing the news that Ronaldo was excluded from the selection for the match against Switzerland. However, he had a conversation with coach Fernando Santos and decided to stay with the team.”
However, the Portuguese Football Association said on the same day, “Ronaldo has never threatened to leave the national team while staying in Qatar. He is always dedicated to the national team.”
Previously, Portugal won 6-1 in the round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar against Switzerland, taking the last remaining spot in the quarterfinals. It is the first time in 16 years since 2006 that Portugal has reached the quarterfinal stage at the World Cup.
In this match, coach Santos benched Ronaldo, the ‘captain’ and ‘key’ striker, and Portugal’s all-time top scorer (118 goals). The reason was that there were no field goals except for penalty kicks (PK) in the group stage, and that he showed controversial behavior when he was replaced in the third game against Korea last time.
Ronaldo sat on the bench and watched the game with a dark expression on his face. Although his teammates congratulated him every time he scored, his expression was not bright whenever the relay camera was caught again. Coincidentally, Gonzalo Hamus, who was dropped as the starter instead, succeeded in the first ‘hat-trick’ of this tournament and led the team to a great victory.
Belatedly, coach Santos made a substitution in the 29th minute of the second half when he seized the victory, and Ronaldo stepped on the ground. However, during the free kick chance, the shot was blocked by the defensive wall, failing to show any impact, and the game ended without scoring. After the match, Ronaldo went into the locker room without looking back and showed a pout.
After the game, there were even reports that Ronaldo threatened to leave the team, causing tension inside and outside the Portuguese national team. However, the Portuguese Football Association immediately announced clarification and started to evolve. Portugal is facing Morocco in the quarterfinals.