Fernando Santos, coach of the Portuguese national team, has denied that a gesture made by Cristiano Ronaldo led to his exclusion from the starting lineup in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup.
In the third and final round of the group stage, which pitted Portugal against South Korea, Ronaldo was seen making a “shut up” gesture as Santos decided to replace him.
Some believed the owner of the number 7 shirt was making the gesture towards Santos, but Ronaldo revealed that he targeted South Korean international player Cho Joo-sung, who asked him to leave the pitch quickly.
Santos later admitted that he did not like the gesture made by the 37-year-old, and that he had argued with a member of the opposing team.
The veteran coach was asked after the Switzerland game whether the gesture led to Ronaldo remaining on the bench until the 74th minute, when he came on in the final quarter to contribute to Portugal’s crushing 6-1 victory.
Santos replied: “The decision not to let Ronaldo start was for reasons related to his style of play and what I thought about the dynamics of the match.”
And the man, born in the capital Lisbon, continued: “The choices are linked to the playing conditions. Diogo Dalot also took part, instead of Joao Cancelo”.
Santos denied any hypothesis of a dispute between him and his captain, stressing: “Ronaldo and I have been friends for many years and everything has been completely resolved.”
