Fernando Santos said his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for the quarterfinal match against Switzerland was not personal.
After his angry outburst at being replaced in Selecao’s last group-stage encounter against South Korea, the ex-Manchester United attacker will start from the bench on Tuesday.
Santos said earlier this week that he disapproved of Ronaldo’s conduct after that defeat, and he was questioned over his choice to replace the 37-year-old with the inexperienced Goncalo Ramos after progressing to the quarterfinals.
Fernando Santos remarked, “Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos are different players. There is no issue with the national team’s captain.”
“It was tactical. Players are unique. I also began Diogo Dalot and Raphael Guerreiro, but Joao Cancelo is an outstanding player. I had this opinion for the match against Switzerland; for another match, it may be different.”
Santos was pressed for a more elaborate justification of his choice, to which he said: “Have I not previously responded to this question? There is no conflict between Fernando Santos and the national team’s captain. We’ve been friends for a long time, so nothing affects us. Coaches make choices. That issue was entirely fixed, and he was a model captain, as I’ve previously mentioned.”
Ramos scored a spectacular hat-trick for Portugal in Ronaldo’s absence, becoming the youngest player since Pele to score three goals in the World Cup knockout rounds.
The offensive play of the Selecao was a sight to see. Ronaldo entered the game in the last 20 minutes and scored, but his goal was disallowed for offside.
