Cristiano Ronaldo benched for Portugal World Cup Round of 16 match vs Switzerland

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Amid increasing internal and external pressure, Portugal head coach Fernando Santos yanked star forward Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting lineup for the World Cup Round of 16 match against Switzerland.

Santos had previously indicated that Ronaldo would not be a lock to start the match, and the Portuguese media had begun to call for Ronaldo’s replacement on the field as Portugal sought for a place in the quarterfinals.

The decision came in the wake of Ronaldo’s angry reaction to being substituted in the 65th minute of the final group stage game against South Korea, which Portugal went on to lose 2-1.

Ronaldo became the first male player in history to score at five FIFA World Cup tournaments with his penalty against Ghana in the opening group stage match of the 2022 tournament.

LIVE BLOG: Portugal face Switzerland in the World Cup Round of 16 with a quarterfinal spot on the line

But when asked about the lineup switch in the hour before the match, Fernando Santos indicated that Ronaldo starting off the bench was part of his strategy all along. Ronaldo came off the bench to play the final 17 minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo benched vs Switzerland at World Cup

Just days after reports that Cristiano Ronaldo had signed the most lucrative club contract in football with a Saudi Arabian club, the Portuguese superstar was benched for his nation’s World Cup Round of 16 match against Switzerland in Qatar.

Ronaldo did not start against Switzerland, with 21-year-old Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos slotted into the starting lineup in his place. 

The move was a massive call from head coach Fernando Santos, who had previously resisted calls for Ronaldo’s benching earlier in the tournament.

Ronaldo has not come off the bench for a World Cup match since the 2006 tournament, his first of five career tournaments. He was rested for the 2006 third-round group match against Mexico with Portugal already qualified by then.

Ronaldo had started every other one of his 19 World Cup appearances in his career. 

Manager Fernando Santos was vindicated for his decision when Benifca youngster Goncalo Ramos scored a hat trick in just 67 minutes of play. 

Cameras focused on Ronaldo in the wake of the celebrations of the first goal and at one point he was calmly seated, expressionless.

But photos did show him participating in the post-goal celebration:

What was equally interesting is that Ronaldo was brought on to replace Ramos with the score at 5-1 for Portugal.

As the substitution happened on the sidelines, Ramos gave Ronaldo a tap on the back, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner didn’t do much celebrating of Portugal’s hat-trick hero.

Ronaldo in World Cup 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo had started all three group matches for Portugal, going 88 minutes and 82 minutes in the first two victories which locked up a Round of 16 berth from Group H.

With a chance to rest the 37-year-old against South Korea in the third and final group match, manager Fernando Santos opted to start Ronaldo, taking him off after 65 minutes.

In that instance it was RB Leipzig striker Andre Silva who came on for Ronaldo, and the superstar didn’t take too well to the change based on his attitude as he came off the field.

Could it be that Fernando Santos was merely managing Ronaldo’s minutes with the real prospect of extra time against the Swiss in their first single-elimination knockout match? Was his game plan always for Ronaldo to come on for the final stretch of the match? 

The crowd at the Lusail Stadium definitely wanted to see him, chanting Ronaldo’s name with 30 minutes remaining in the match. They finally got their wish with 17 minutes remaining.

Portugal latest team to bench Cristiano Ronaldo

It’s been a tough last few months for Ronaldo, who also lost his place with Manchester United. It was a situation that didn’t sit well with him and he’s since severed ties with the Red Devils.

New Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag made Ronaldo a super sub in Premier League play, and he came off the bench for six of the 10 appearances he made in the Premier League in 2022/23.

Ronaldo became a cup starter for Man United, featuring in the starting XI in all six Europa League group matches for Man United.

A bitter Ronaldo took to a television interview with Pier Morgan to express his discontent and it ultimately led to his departure from the club.

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