Portugal manager Fernando Santos admitted he wasn’t happy with captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction after coming off against South Korea.
Cristiano Ronaldo put his finger to his lips as he left the field and later claimed he was provoked by the opposition striker Cho Gue-sung for asking him to speed up his exit.
Having made little impact for the best part of an hour, Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the three changes as his side went chasing a winner in a game they eventually lost 2-1.
The veteran forward appeared to react badly to being substituted with Santos revealing his displeasure over Ronaldo’s spat with South Korea’s Lee Sung-Jae upon coming off.
The latest rumpus started after Santos believed Ronaldo had been caught up in a fracas after he was substituted in the 65th minute during their defeat to South Korea in the final group game.
The veteran Portugal manager believed opposition striker Cho Gue-Sung had been insulting him. As it turns out, Ronaldo had also been caught moaning at his substitution. And Santos wasn’t happy.
Portuguese media suggested that Ronaldo had criticized his manager as he left the field, but the 37-year-old insisted that there was no problem between him and his boss.
While Santos suggested that he wasn’t pleased with Ronaldo’s reaction, he insisted the issue had been resolved ahead of Portugal’s last-16 tie with Switzerland on Tuesday.
He (Santos) however claims the former Manchester United superstar has been dealt with following the incident and considered the case closed.
While Santos stressed the team’s focus on the match, the headlines are likely to remain on their skipper, after it was reported that he will be completing a blockbuster move to Saudi Arabia after the conclusion of the World Cup.
Ronaldo scored just one goal for Portugal at the World Cup in Qatar, which came in the opening game against Ghana.
The veteran frontman converted from the spot in the second period as the European outfit secured a 3-2 victory over the African side to start their tournament with a victory.
Ronaldo has failed to score with any of his 25 shots in the knockout stage of the World Cup, only Roberto Carlos (29) attempted more shots without scoring in the knockout stage of the tournament since at least 1966.
Santos’ side takes on Switzerland on Tuesday with a place in the quarter-final up for grabs, where they will go on to face the winners of Morocco against Spain on the same day.
Ronaldo is currently a free agent and has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr, with some reports in Spain saying that a deal is now done.
Santos insists it has not been a topic of discussion in the Portugal squad and will not distract their World Cup bid.
