Portugal sacked Fernando Santos following World Cup exit and controversies arising from leaving Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench against Morocco.
The 68-year-old manager guided Portugal to the World Cup quarterfinals in Qatar where the team was eliminated from the competition on Saturday after a shocking 1-0 loss to Morocco.
Santos is renowned for having guided Portugal to victory in the 2016 European Championships and for later winning the first UEFA Nations League in 2018–19.
According to reports, the Portuguese Football Federation was considering firing the coach after eight years in command of the national squad.
According to football writer Fabrizio Romano, the PFF has now decided to fire the manager and is searching for a new head coach ahead of the Euro 2024 campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a legendary player for Portugal, was benched by Santos before his team’s match against Switzerland in the round of 16.
Due to the 37-year-old forward’s unfavorable response to being replaced against South Korea during the group stage, the veteran coach ran out of patience with him.
Goncalo Ramos, a Benfica replacement striker, scored a triple trick on his first World Cup start for Portugal, helping his country to a rout 6-1. The decision ultimately paid off.
Many supporters believed that the era of Ronaldo leading the attack was finished after seeing Portugal’s attacking flair in the encounter. PFF executives also strongly believe that Santos’ time has come to an end after a similar experiment failed in the quarter-final clash against Morocco.
When goalkeeper Diogo Costa made a mistake, they lost 1-0 to the tenacious Atlas Lions thanks to a Youssef En-Nesyri header.
There are several potential candidates in the nation, including current Lille manager Paulo Fonseca, former Porto and Roma manager Jose Mourinho, and managers of Chelsea, Manchester United, and Real Madrid.
Mourinho has already been mentioned in connection with the position, while Fonseca is another front-runner for the PFF. They’re both Portuguese.
Portugal National Team
Since 1921, the Seleço Portuguesa de Futebol, or Portugal national football team, has represented Portugal in men’s international football competition.
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), which oversees football in Portugal, has jurisdiction over the national squad.
Home matches for Portugal are held at a number of venues across the country, while Cidade do Futebol, the national team’s main training facility and administrative center, is situated in Oeiras.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the squad’s captain and also holds the team records for most appearances and goals scored. Fernando Santos was most recently the head coach before being fired following the team’s 2022 World Cup exit.
What Happened Between Fernando Santos And Cristiano Ronaldo
Santos created news by benching superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for the match against Switzerland in the round of 16, but his choice was wise as Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick in the 6-1 victory.
Portugal, however, was defeated in the round of eight by tenacious Morocco, which bravely fought for a 1-0 victory to become the first African team in World Cup history to advance to the semi-finals.
Santos led Portugal to victories in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019 and the Euro 2016 championship in France, the only significant international trophies for his country.
Minutes before halftime, Youssef En-Nesyri, a striker for the Atlas Lions, took advantage of a mistake by Diogo Costa to give his team the lead.
Ronaldo was brought off the bench amid much controversies in an attempt to rescue an equalizer for Portugal to keep their final four chances alive, but Santos’ team was unable to find a way back into the match, which inevitably brought an end to his tenure with Portugal.
Following his rejection of the Wolverhampton Wanderers position in October, Paulo Fonseca is currently the favorite to succeed Santos before Euro 2024, which will take place in two years.
