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Ronaldo 2: Same Man Utd movie, different location
Carlo Garganese
- Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
- 4 min read
Ronaldo’s Portugal career risks ending in exactly the same controversial manner that his Manchester United one did.
As is always the case, Ronaldo has dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons ahead of Portugal’s last-16 match against Switzerland on Tuesday.
This is due to the fallout from his petulant reaction to being substituted in Portugal’s 2-1 defeat by South Korea on Friday.
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Ronaldo was furious to be taken off for the third successive game at the World Cup. He raised his finger to his lips in order to make a “quiet” gesture, sending an apparent message to his coach Fernando Santos.
What did Santos say?
Santos was not impressed and hit out at Ronaldo in his press conference on Monday.
“Have I seen the images?” Santos said.
“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 refused to confirm whether Ronaldo would remain as captain or even start Portugal’s last-16 game against Switzerland on Tuesday.
“I only decide who is going to be captain when I reach the stadium,” he replied.
“I still don’t know what the line-up 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.”
What did Ronaldo say?
Ronaldo has since claimed that his gesture was not directed at Santos but at an opposition player.
"Before my substitution, one of their players was telling me to leave quickly,” Ronaldo said. “I told him to shut up, he has no authority, he doesn’t have to say anything.”
Whatever is the truth, the whole episode and Ronaldo’s performances and status at this World Cup is very reminiscent of the end to his Man Utd career.
Ronaldo has scored just one goal in Qatar so far, a controversial penalty in the opening 3-2 win over Ghana.
Aside from that he has offered little to the Portugal team. He has looked slow, his inability to press and defend from the front has left Portugal disjointed at times, and the team has looked more fluid and dangerous when he hasn’t been on the pitch.
Indeed, 70 per cent of Portugal fans polled by A Bola believe that Ronaldo should be dropped for the Switzerland game.
The feeling among supporters is that Portugal have better attackers than Ronaldo. It is hard to disagree given the presence of the likes of Rafa Leao, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Andre Silva and others.
And just like at Man Utd, where he also struggled on the pitch this season, Ronaldo is causing problems off it for Portugal.
No team wins the World Cup without a united group of players - and Ronaldo is now threatening that dynamic with his behaviour.
Ronaldo was, of course, released from his contract at Man Utd last month following an infamous interview with Piers Morgan in which he slammed various key figures from the club, including the owners and coach Erik ten Hag.
This followed on numerous acts of indiscipline in the first few months of the season, ranging from refusing orders from his manager to public acts of petulance when being substituted.
We are seeing the same movie again now with Portugal.
