Portugal responds to Ronaldo walk-out claims

1 year ago 62

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) denied that prima guardant Cristiano Ronaldo had threatened to permission the World Cup squad aft being named arsenic a substitute against Switzerland earlier this week.

The 37-year-old striker was dropped from the starting lineup for Tuesday's past 16 clash with his replacement, Benfica guardant Gonçalo Ramos, stepping up to people a sublime hat-trick arsenic Portugal thumped the Swiss 6-1.

The latest from Portuguese work Record claims the striker had antecedently threatened to permission the squad pursuing a speech with manager Fernando Santos.

"The FPF clarifies that astatine nary clip did the skipper of the nationalist team, Cristiano Ronaldo, endanger to permission the nationalist squad during the enactment successful Qatar," work the statement.

Ronaldo watches connected arsenic Portugal belts Switzerland

"Every day, Cristiano Ronaldo is gathering up a unsocial way grounds of work to the nationalist squad and the country, which indispensable beryllium respected and which speaks to the unquestionable grade of committedness to the nationalist team."

Ronaldo besides took to societal media conscionable hours aft the FPF connection to reaffirm his committedness to the team, saying: "A radical excessively agreed to beryllium breached by outer forces. A federation excessively brave to beryllium acrophobic of immoderate adversary. A squad successful the existent consciousness of the word, who volition combat for the imagination to the end! Believe with us!"

Portugal midfielder Otávio agreed with the shot icon.

“Cristiano is right,” helium told reporters connected Thursday. “The radical is agreed and the quality from extracurricular is not going to interfere,” helium said. “We’re focused connected playing for Portugal — and winning.”

The 27-year-old Otávio said helium had not witnessed immoderate arguments successful the team, but added that “every subordinate is simply a spot bitter erstwhile helium doesn’t get to play and that’s perfectly natural. It’s not conscionable Cristiano, it’s each player.”

He noted that Ronaldo is ever successful the news.

Ronaldo walks disconnected arsenic Portugal celebrate

“So sometimes, the details of the images lone amusement the antagonistic and not the positive,” helium said. ”Cristiano is an illustration for all, he’s our captain, and adjacent aft helium knew that helium wouldn’t play, helium was 1 of the ones who supported the squad the most. We’re each with him.”

Against Switzerland, Ramos — who came successful for Ronaldo, to the daze of many, and scored a chapeau instrumentality connected his debut — stretched the absorption defence much than Ronaldo typically does. It gave Felix, playing conscionable down Ramos, much abstraction to enactment successful and helium produced 1 of his champion performances for Portugal.

Santos went done the attributes of the 3 strikers successful his squad — Ronaldo, Ramos and Andre Silva — and said that portion Ronaldo is simply a subordinate “who is much fixed and plays successful a much determined area,” Ramos is “more dynamic.”

So dropping Ronaldo requires a displacement successful crippled plan. It mightiness person worked against Switzerland, but volition it enactment against Morocco?

Looking to go the archetypal African squad to scope the World Cup semifinals, Morocco is expected to support heavy against Portugal and play connected the counterattack. Santos has to marque the telephone whether this is much of a crippled for Ronaldo — 1 of soccer's top ever players — oregon to instrumentality with the subordinate who conscionable had the crippled of his life.

It's not a atrocious concern to beryllium in, and leaves Portugal arsenic a precise unsafe proposition either way.

with AP

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