Fernando Santos, coach of the Portugal national soccer team, declined to confirm if Cristiano Ronaldo will captain them when they face Switzerland in the round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of the Portugal vs Switzerland match in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16, Santos admitted his disgust at Ronaldo’s furious reaction after he substituted for the Portuguese superstar during their defeat. 2-1 against South Korea.
Cristiano Ronaldo reacted furiously to being substituted, and Fernando Santos said he didn’t like what he saw when he saw images of CR7 that seemed to say “he’s in a hurry to replace me”.
Santos later said that the issue had been resolved internally. He was then asked if Cristiano Ronaldo would keep the bracelet when Portugal takes the field against Switzerland.
Read more: Fernando Santos did not like Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction to the substitution during the Portugal vs South Korea FIFA World Cup clash
Portugal coach Fernando Santos refuses the decision of the captaincy in the round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Fernando Santos refused to confirm whether Cristiano Ronaldo would captain Portugal against Switzerland in the 2022 FIFA World Cup round of 16, insisting that he decides on the captain only when he arrives at the stadium.
“I only decide who is going to be captain when I arrive at the stadium. I still don’t know what the line-up will be”, said the Portugal coach.
“That is what I have always done and that is what I will always do and it will be the same tomorrow. The other issue is resolved. We fixed that internally and that’s it,” said Fernando Santos.
If Santos strips Cristiano Ronaldo of the captaincy in Portugal’s 2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match, it would be a great move from the manager.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has only had one good campaign in the Qatar 2022 World Cup so far. He has scored one goal for Portugal in three games at Qatar 2022. That goal came in a 3-2 loss to Ghana in his first game when he converted a penalty he had won himself.
The match between Portugal and Switzerland starts at 00:30 Indian Standard Time on December 7. Cristiano Ronaldo and company. They are aiming to lift the coveted FIFA World Cup title for the first time in Portugal’s history and are the favorites to advance to the quarter-finals in this Round of 16 clash.
Read more: Manuel Akanji reveals how he plans to stop Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal vs Switzerland 2022 World Cup clash
