Manager Fernando Santos wasn’t afraid to make a big call ahead of his team’s crunch Qatar 2022 encounter with Switzerland
Cristiano Ronaldo has sensationally been left out of the starting 11 for Portugal(opens in new tab)’s World Cup 2022(opens in new tab) quarter-final against Switzerland(opens in new tab).
Fernando Santos took the huge decision to drop his skipper for Tuesday night’s game; veteran centre-back Pepe will wear the captain’s armband.
And based on Ronaldo’s underwhelming showing in the group stage, it’s hard to argue that Santos hasn’t made the correct choice.
Other than winning then scoring a penalty to bag Portugal’s first goal of the tournament – to set them up for a 3-2 victory over Ghana in their opener – the six-time Ballon d’Or recipient has been more of a hindrance than a help to his national team.
Santos has switched to two up front after his side’s 2-1 defeat to South Korea in their final group match (during which Ronaldo reacted petulantly to being substituted), with Benfica hotshot Goncalo Ramos partnering Joao Felix.
It feels inevitable that Ronaldo – who became the first player ever to score at five different World Cups when he converted that penalty – will be introduced at some point, but don’t be surprised to see him cut a frustrating figure on the bench at first…