Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly threatened to leave the Portugal World Cup team when Fernando Santos unexpectedly benched him for the match against Switzerland in the round of 16.
Goncalo Ramos took Ronaldo’s place in the Portugal starting lineup, and the Benfica striker proved why he was selected by scoring an incredible hat-trick in his team’s 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland.
The victory sets up a quarterfinal matchup with Morocco, who earlier on Tuesday defeated Spain on penalties.
Ronaldo’s reported falling out with management at international level followed a similar situation at club level, having ended his relationship with Manchester United by mutual consent last month following his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
Portuguese media outlet Record outline how Ronaldo threatened to collect his belongings and walk out of Portugal’s training base in Qatar in the fallout of his removal from the starting line-up, with the suggestions threatening to derail the nation’s bid to win their first-ever World Cup.
Trending Stories: Lionel Messi And Friends Joins Sergio Aguero’s Live Twitch Stream
It is claimed that Ronaldo was deeply unhappy when Santos informed him of the decision and even threatened to leave in what is described as a tense conversation, before eventually backing down and reiterating his desire to help the squad during the knockout phases of the competition.
The Portuguese FA has refuted the reports and added that the 37-year-old ‘builds up a unique track record every day at the service of the national team and the country, which must be respected and which attests to the unquestionable degree of commitment to the national team.’
COMMENTS