The captain remained, but in reserve
The passions around Cristiano Ronaldo are only just gaining momentum, which flared up after his reaction to the substitution in the match against South Korea (1:2) in the third round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage.
Then the striker left the field without taking any effective action and was clearly dissatisfied with what had happened. This did not please the team’s head coach, Fernando Santos. Insiders reported that he wanted to pull the main star from the starting line-up and deprive the captain of his armband.
It didn’t come second, but Ronaldo didn’t really come out on top in the 1/8 final match of the World Cup against Switzerland. The forward remained on the bench until the end of the meeting and has already taken the field with a score of 5:1. With him, his team managed to score another goal, but Rafael Leau did this without the participation of the captain.
The spice of all this was added that Goncalo Ramos, who replaced the 37-year-old striker in the main squad, made a hat-trick and became the main character of the match.
At the same time, Cristiano supported the team in every possible way off the field. He delighted and celebrated every goal, encouraged his partners, and perhaps never showed the negative emotions expected of him.
“Is there a change in order? It was a strategy, all players are different. I also posted Dalot, Rafael Guerreira, although Cancelo is also a great actor. After the match, Portugal head coach Fernando Santos said, I think that’s what we needed to play with Switzerland.
– I have no problem with the captain of the national team. We’ve been friends for many years. Ronaldo set a great example as a great captain.”
Support and criticism
But the world is divided into two camps. Someone like Cristiano’s friend Georgina Rodriguez voiced words of support.
“Congratulations, Portugal! When 11 players sang the anthem, all the cameras focused on you. It’s a pity we can’t play 90 minutes with the best player in the world. The fans continued to demand that you take the field and shout your name,” Georgina wrote on her social networks. “May God and my dear friend Fernando keep walking hand in hand and give us another exciting night.”
Traditionally, his mother and sister have expressed public support for Ronaldo, vehemently on his side in any situation.
But the Portuguese journalist Flavio Mikel Silva brutally beat the captain of the team.
“Portugal did well, Ramos scored a hat-trick, but for some reason no one mentions that he… is the youngest player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup playoff game since Pelé. Everyone is talking about Ronaldo. Look: This is the main difference between the Portuguese team and Ronaldo, who does not defend himself and run like a bag. He plays not for the team we saw yesterday, but for another team, ”Sport24 quotes the journalist.
Ronaldo himself also drew attention with a positive post on his social networks: “An incredible day for Portugal with a historic result in the biggest tournament in world football. An elegant performance by a talented and young team to be congratulated. The dream is alive! to finish! Go to Portugal!
He supported him and his partners in the national team.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is our leader,” said Ramos, the hero of the meeting. He is our captain and we always look forward to playing alongside him. He is my guide, the idol of many of us.”
“In the beginning we won the first two games with Ronaldo. Cristiano is doing his job, doing his part. Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes is happy with this result,” said.
“It’s important to look at player history”
However, the question of Ronaldo’s future prospects in the tournament remains open. Fernando Santos summed up his position as follows:
“His role is yet to be determined. We have a very close relationship, they always were. I’ve known him since I was 19. Our relationship is only improving. Ronaldo and I never confuse the human relationship with the player-coach relationship and what we have to do during the match.”
At the same time, the coach of the Portuguese national team emphasized that the captain will definitely appear on the field in the match to be played against Morocco.
It’s important to look at this player’s background. This is one of the best football players in the world, both professionally and playing the role of captain. Now we just have to think about the team. I will always think that Ronaldo is an important player for the team, ”the expert added.
In this World Cup, Ronaldo has scored only one goal so far, leading the game against the Ghana national team with a score of 0:0 from the penalty spot (3:2). In the second round match against Uruguay, he also played an important role in the first goal, but he did not touch his head after Bruno Fernandes’ pass, although he surprised the goalkeeper with his jump. However, the ball was eventually saved by the midfielder.
Despite his importance for the national team and status, it is clear that Ronaldo is not in the best position at the moment, so Ramos’ performance seriously raises the question of the captain’s future prospects in the tournament. It is possible that he will continue to come out of the bench in the future.
Europe or Saudi Arabia
So far, the club’s future striker is unknown. As you know, already during the 2022 World Cup, he and Manchester United by mutual agreement terminated the contract. The reason for this was a scandalous interview with player Piers Morgan, around which the football player was circling the club and head coach Eric ten Hag.
Now Cristiano has at least one offer from Saudi Arabia with an amazing salary of 200 million euros per year. The media reported that everything has already been decided, but the player himself denied information about the contract signed after the match with Switzerland.
Authorized insider Fabrizio Romano said he is still waiting for offers from Europe as Ronaldo wants to play in the Champions League, but with Al-Nasr the option is also viable.
“There is still a lot to give to the national team”
For socialbites.ca, the former striker of the Russian national team, Dmitry Bulykin, commented on the condition of the football player.
“No one knows what it will be like for Ronaldo in the first team against Switzerland. Maybe 8:1. But maybe he has a microtrauma, maybe he has decided to rest – he hasn’t recovered. Or maybe the coach has decided to put him younger, faster and more hungry. We don’t know. , we can only guess. Whether he will play in the next matches, I think everything is decided there in training, ”says Bulykin.
He also spoke about the tactical nature of Santos’ decision to spare the superstar against Switzerland:
“No one will tell you the truth. Obviously they both had and had a little bit of everything and they decided to do it. And if they won 6:1, that means they did everything right.
The question is in the next game, but I’m sure a player like Cristiano will always be useful to the team. If not on the football field, in the locker room or even on the bench. And I think he will continue to prove himself in this World Cup.”
Bulykin also appreciated Ronaldo’s future prospects in the tournament and his career in general.
“The real question is how the team will play. I think that if he wins without him, he’d better sit on the bench. Of course, any striker – especially at the end of his career – wants to play as much as possible. But not everything depends on him.
I don’t know what Ronaldo thinks about the new contract. This also probably affects: where he will play next, he signed – he did not sign. Many psychological nuances. The coach sees them, the other players also see them and they are already solving it like football. Although they do not tell the press exactly what is going on, they already know what needs to be done in the name of football. The former striker of Lokomotiv and Ajax says what would be better for the team.
Ronaldo can still play. Anyway, now we see what form it is in. And all his skill speaks of it.
Another thing is what he chose: the largest contract in history in Saudi Arabia, or a European contract, or some kind of American option. We will soon learn of his choice, but it is clear that this will be his last contract. And, of course, he will decide, relying on himself, not the fans. I think the question here is how much money he has right now. And will it eventually end with no news in Saudi Arabia and big money, or news from some good country in Europe or America?