Ronaldo came off the bench in Portugal’s first two matches at the World Cup
The Portuguese Football Federation has denied that Cristiano Ronaldo had threatened to leave his team’s pitch at the World Cup.
Portuguese newspaper Record said the 37-year-old forward had threatened to quit after being told he would not start against Switzerland in the round of 16.
In the previous match against South Korea, the Portugal captain reacted angrily by walking off the field as a substitute.
The Portuguese FA said: “Cristiano Ronaldo never threatened to leave the national team training camp during his stay in Qatar.”
Ronaldo ended his contract with Manchester United by mutual consent ahead of Portugal’s opening World Cup match after a controversial newspaper interview in which the five-time Ballon d’Or winner criticized the English club.
Ronaldo was substituted in Portugal’s first two World Cup matches. The team’s coach, Fernando Santos, said Ronaldo’s reaction when substituting for him in the match that ended in a 2-1 defeat by South Korea in the group stage “didn’t appeal to him”.
Goncalo Ramos was in Ronaldo’s starting line-up against Switzerland. The 21-year-old scored three goals (a hat-trick) in the match, which ended in a 6-1 victory for Portugal.
Ronaldo, who is the most capped Portuguese player with 195 caps and the all-time top scorer for Portugal with 118 goals, came on as a substitute at the end of that match, but then left the pitch while his team-mates were still celebrating .
The Portuguese FA said: “Cristiano Ronaldo makes a unique story every day in the service of the national team and the country, which must be respected.”
He added: “The degree of dedication of the most active player in Portugal’s history was demonstrated once again – if necessary – in the victory over Switzerland in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup.”
Portugal will face Morocco in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Ronaldo did not train with the other substitutes after Wednesday’s match. Instead, he participated in training sessions in the gym with the players who started against Switzerland.
Following the statement, released by the Portuguese federation on Thursday, Ronaldo tweeted: “A group whose members have bonds so strong that no outside force can break them, and a nation too brave to allow any opponent to frighten them.”
He added: “A team in the truest sense of the word, who will fight for the dream until the very end. Trust us.”
