Qatar 2022: Fernando Santos Opens up on Decision to Bench Ronaldo

Former Portuguese international, Fernando Santos has divulged the reasons he benched Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of the side, during the round of 16 and quarter-final games at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Recall that Ronaldo who scored a goal in the Group Stage of the competition to become the first male football player to score in five different World Cups wasn’t in the starting lineup of his country’s knockout 6-1 win over Switzerland and Quarter Final loss to Morocco.

“I thought strategically it was the best decision [benching Ronaldo],” said Fernando Santos whilst justifying his decision in his latest interview.

He added: “The game against Switzerland went so well that in the next game, it didn’t make any sense to change. If we had beaten Morocco, maybe Cristiano was in the starting line-up [against France].

“My arms are open to Cristiano again, so that our relationship can be as strong as before. I understand Cristiano Ronaldo’s pain, because he did this to me, and he considers me a great friend of his. Cristiano is the best player in history,” the 69-year-old concluded.