In response to claims that Cristiano Ronaldo will quit the Portuguese national team during the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup because he was benched for the team’s encounter against Switzerland, Portugal FA have now disputed the claims.
Ronaldo, 37, a longtime Portugal forward and EURO 2016 champion, was benched by Fernando Santos for the country’s 2022 World Cup last 16 match against Switzerland on Dec. 6 that the Portuguese team won 6-1.
He was subbed on in the 74th minute of the match when Portugal were leading 5-1.
“News released this Thursday reports that Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during a conversation with Fernando Santos, national coach,” the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said in a statement.
“The FPF clarifies that at no time did the captain of the national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, threaten to leave the national team during the internship in Qatar,” it added.
Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t going anywhere đź—Ł pic.twitter.com/Jt25zRVM3N
— GOAL (@goal) December 8, 2022
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All Portugal’s players, coaches, and staff are “fully committed” and “enthusiastic about” Portugal’s task in Qatar 2022, it said.
Ronaldo has been a valuable Portugal member, scoring 118 goals in 195 international caps for his nation, and played in many World Cup and EURO finals.
Portugal will face dark horses Morocco in a World Cup quarterfinal clash in Doha on Saturday.
The winning team will play against either England or France in the semifinal stage.
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