Cristiano Ronaldo may lose Portugal captaincy for FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match vs Switzerland
Portugal will play the last and final round of 16 game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when they take on Switzerland at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Tuesday. But the 2016 European Champions might not have their superstar Cristiano Ronaldo leading the team after he landed himself on hot water with team manager Fernando Santos.
A fortnight after that bombshell interview with Piers Morgan where he talked about his fall out with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo seems to have now annoyed yet another manager, this time the boss of the Portugal national team, which was evident after his reaction when he was substituted during the team’s final group game last week against South Korea.
Ronaldo was substituted in the 65th minute of the game, shortly before South Korea struck the winner. Ronaldo fumed as he walked off the pitch and was spotted putting his finger on his lips. However, Ronaldo had explained earlier that the act was owing to his heated exchange with one of the South Korea players.
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Speaking on the matter on Monday, ahead of the Switzerland tie, Santos said, “Have I seen the images? Yes, I didn’t like it, not at all. I didn’t like it. I really didn’t like it. But from that moment onwards everything is finished regarding that issue. These matters are resolved behind closed doors. It’s resolved. Full stop on this matter and now everyone is focused on tomorrow’s match.”
Santos then remained tight-lipped on whether Ronaldo would captain Portugal in the Last 16 tie or even start for the team.
“I only decide who is going to be captain when I reach the stadium,” the manager said. “I still don’t know what the lineup will be. That’s what I’ve always done and that’s what I’m always going to do and it’s going to be the same tomorrow. The other topic is solved. We have fixed that in-house and that’s it.”
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