Doha: Portugal Coach Fernando Santos admitted on Friday that Cristiano Ronaldo have been unsatisfied to be dropped to the bench as he pleaded for a line to be drawn below the affair.
The veteran striker used to be an alternative to the primary time at a World Cup since 2006 for his facet’s last-16 fit towards Switzerland, which they gained 6-1.
A record in Portuguese newspaper Record stated Ronaldo had threatened to surrender the squad after he used to be instructed he used to be no longer within the beginning line-up.
The Portuguese soccer federation denied the record and Ronaldo himself took to social media to state that the squad used to be “too united to be broken by outside forces”.
Santos, talking at the eve of Portugal’s quarter-final towards Morocco, stated he had spoken to Ronaldo at the day of the sport towards Switzerland.
“I invited him to my office, and told him ‘you will not be one of the starters’, so it would not be a surprise,” he stated.
“I told him he would be important (but) in terms of the strategy, I told him ‘it’s better for you not to play’. I saved him for the second half.”
Santos stated five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo by no means threatened to go away the workforce camp, even if he used to be disappointed about being dropped.
“Cristiano, for obvious reasons, was not very happy about it,” stated Santos. “He’s always been a starting player except for one or two games on the bench — obviously he was not happy.
“He instructed me ‘do you truly suppose it is a good suggestion?’ But we had a standard dialog through which I defined my viewpoints.
“Of course, he accepted. We had a frank and normal conversation, he has never told me he wanted to leave our national team.”
Santos stated Ronaldo confirmed his dedication to the workforce via celebrating Portugal’s targets and main the avid gamers to applaud the enthusiasts.
“It’s high time we stop with this conversation, stop the controversies,” stated the trainer, making an attempt to attract a line below the affair.
“It’s high time for you to leave Ronaldo alone, in acknowledgment for what he’s done for Portuguese football.”
Santos hinted that he would possibly convey the 37-year-old again into the workforce to stand Morocco on Saturday, pronouncing the north African facet would supply a special problem from Switzerland.
“They are an extremely well-organized team with high quality and potential, and many players at Chelsea, PSG, Bayern,” he stated.
The veteran striker used to be an alternative to the primary time at a World Cup since 2006 for his facet’s last-16 fit towards Switzerland, which they gained 6-1.
A record in Portuguese newspaper Record stated Ronaldo had threatened to surrender the squad after he used to be instructed he used to be no longer within the beginning line-up.
The Portuguese soccer federation denied the record and Ronaldo himself took to social media to state that the squad used to be “too united to be broken by outside forces”.
Santos, talking at the eve of Portugal’s quarter-final towards Morocco, stated he had spoken to Ronaldo at the day of the sport towards Switzerland.
“I invited him to my office, and told him ‘you will not be one of the starters’, so it would not be a surprise,” he stated.
“I told him he would be important (but) in terms of the strategy, I told him ‘it’s better for you not to play’. I saved him for the second half.”
Santos stated five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo by no means threatened to go away the workforce camp, even if he used to be disappointed about being dropped.
“Cristiano, for obvious reasons, was not very happy about it,” stated Santos. “He’s always been a starting player except for one or two games on the bench — obviously he was not happy.
“He instructed me ‘do you truly suppose it is a good suggestion?’ But we had a standard dialog through which I defined my viewpoints.
“Of course, he accepted. We had a frank and normal conversation, he has never told me he wanted to leave our national team.”
Santos stated Ronaldo confirmed his dedication to the workforce via celebrating Portugal’s targets and main the avid gamers to applaud the enthusiasts.
“It’s high time we stop with this conversation, stop the controversies,” stated the trainer, making an attempt to attract a line below the affair.
“It’s high time for you to leave Ronaldo alone, in acknowledgment for what he’s done for Portuguese football.”
Santos hinted that he would possibly convey the 37-year-old again into the workforce to stand Morocco on Saturday, pronouncing the north African facet would supply a special problem from Switzerland.
“They are an extremely well-organized team with high quality and potential, and many players at Chelsea, PSG, Bayern,” he stated.