The 2022 World Cup seems to have left Cristiano Ronaldo deeply hurt. This was revealed by Portugal’s former coach, Fernando Santos, who said that since the end of the tournament he had never spoken to the star again.
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For the coach, Cristiano misinterpreted the decision to leave him on the bench in the games against Switzerland and Morocco.
“We haven’t spoken since I came from Qatar. On the day of the game, in the morning, when I went to explain that he wasn’t going to play and why he wasn’t playing, he misunderstood”.
“From my side the relationship is the same, and he continues to be like a son to me. The day the phone rings he knows I’m always here”, said Fernando Santos, in an interview with the newspaper “A Bola”.
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Therefore, according to the coach, the decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench was “strategic”. He considered that the star had no rhythm in the game and was not having a good time.
“He is the best in the world. But there was a moment in his career that was very difficult. In the second half of 2022 he has six months that are terrible. That moment really affected him. He had no rhythm. It was a strategic issue”, added Santos.
It’s worth remembering that, after finishing first in Group H of the World Cup, Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench. In the quarterfinals, however, the team lost 1-0 to Morocco and was eliminated from the tournament.
Fernando Santos left his post as Portugal coach shortly after the World Cup. He took over Poland next, but did not have good results and was dismissed from the European team in September 2023.