Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction to being substituted after Portugal’s loss to South Korea didn’t impress coach Fernando Santos.
Ronaldo was replaced by Andre Silva in the 65th minute of Friday’s last group stage encounter, and the 37-year-old forward later denied swearing at Santos for taking him off.
Portuguese media said the star forward used vulgar language towards Santos as he left the field.
Ronaldo, however, stated that his remarks were directed at a South Korean player who was telling him to hurry up and leave the field.
🎙️ Cristiano Ronaldo: “Before leaving the game, a South Korean player told me to leave the field immediately. I told him to shut up. He has no authority, he doesn’t need to give an opinion.”#POR | #KOR | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/AUTsK7hrUS
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) December 2, 2022
Regardless, Santos wasn’t pleased with Ronaldo’s reaction.
However, he says the issue has been resolved ahead of Portugal’s last-16 encounter with Switzerland on Tuesday.
What Did Santos Say About Ronaldo’s Reaction?
“Have I seen the images when Ronaldo was subbed? Yes. Did I not like what I saw? No, I didn’t like it one bit,” Santos said.
Fernando Santos was deeply unimpressed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s behaviour as the forward left the pitch against South Korea and refused to guarantee that the 37-year-old would captain Portugal in the last-16 tie against Switzerland.
By @benfisherj https://t.co/iGkYZAvKZ4
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) December 5, 2022
“These matters are resolved behind closed doors. It’s resolved. Full stop on this matter and now it’s full focus on tomorrow’s match.”
Portugal had already qualified for the knockout rounds ahead of Friday’s game and the scores were tied at 1-1 when Ronaldo was taken off.
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Meanwhile, Ronaldo said after the game: “What happened was before my substitution, the South Korea player told me to get off quickly.
“I told him to shut up as he doesn’t have that authority. There was no disagreement [with Santos].”
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