Will Cristiano Ronaldo be benched again in the quarter-finals? Cristiano Ronaldo became the first person in soccer history to score a goal in the five editions of the World Cup in which he participated. But after the first game, Ronaldo seems to be struggling to score a goal for his team.
Ronaldo was substituted in the match against South Korea in the 65th minute for Fernando Santos. As they left the field, Ronaldo and Choe Gue-sung got into a verbal fight because the South Korean told Ronaldo to leave the field immediately. Ronaldo clarified the same to reporters as well. It should be noted that South Korea won the match against Portugal.
Ronaldo also faced substitution in the ‘Round of 16’ clash against Switzerland. While some say Santos replaced one of the world’s elite top scorers due to Ronaldo’s smug reaction towards Santos in the previous match.
Cristiano Ronaldo was replaced by Ramos in the match. To everyone’s surprise, Ramos scored a hat-trick in that match as Portugal beat Switzerland 6-1. Ronaldo left the field alone, letting his teammates appreciate the valuable moment.
Why was Ronaldo replaced?
Cristiano Ronaldo began his World Cup campaign with a goal against Ghana, but did not score or assist in consecutive games. So it could be one of the reasons why Ronaldo was substituted in his game against South Korea.
Ronaldo also reacted to this by putting a finger to his mouth to signal for silence, but the Portuguese coach Santos did not take this lightly. Ronaldo later clarified this by saying that his comments were directed at a South Korean player and not the manager.
“I did not like anything. I didn’t like it at all,” Santos told the media when asked how he had reacted to those images. So these matters are resolved, resolved internally,” he said.
Again, Ronaldo was benched in the game against the Swiss. While keeping one of the world’s top scorers on the bench to begin with, the move could be as unifying, perhaps punitive, proof that Santos will not tolerate or reward actions he perceives as potentially dangerous to the team.
Will Ronaldo be benched again?
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Asked if Ronaldo would start against a certain Morocco in the competition’s quarter-finals, Santos gave the impression that the player could be left out of the contest.
“Ronaldo definitely (will be involved), all the players on the bench can be used, if they are not in the starting lineup, they can play later. It is important to see the example of this player’s history, he is one of the best players in the world playing professionally, being captain, all we have to do is think about this team as a whole”, concluded Santos.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s partner, Rodríguez, posted on Instagram supporting him and added: “I hope that God and your dear friend Fernando hold hands and make us vibrate one more night.”
So, we have to wait and see if The Goat will get a chance to prove himself in the semi-final.
