The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) denied in a press release that Cristiano Ronaldo, only substitute in the last round of 16 won by his team on Tuesday against Switzerland (6-1), threatened to leave the selection.
“A report published on Thursday reports that Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during a conversation with Fernando Santos, the national coach.writes the FPF in this press release. The FPF specifies that at no time did the captain of the national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, threaten to leave the national team during the internship in Qatar.“
The FPF’s denial comes in response to an article in the Portuguese sports daily Record, which wrote on Thursday that “Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave“.
heated exchange
According to Record, the 37-year-old had a heated exchange with his manager after learning that he would start the match against Switzerland on the bench, which led to him threatening to leave the team, before finally changing his position. notice and calm down.
“Cristiano Ronaldo builds a unique track record every day in the service of the national team and the country, which must be respected and which attests to an undeniable degree of commitment to the national team.writes the FPF again. Thus, the degree of commitment of the most capped player in the history of Portugal was once again demonstrated – if necessary – during the victory against Switzerland, in the 1/8 finals of the 2022 World Cup..”
During this 1/8 final, Ronaldo was only a substitute, which had not happened to him since 2008 in selection. He entered in the 75th minute without influencing the game. At the end of the match, he briefly greeted the Portuguese supporters and quickly returned to the locker room.
afp/ace