President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan weighed in on the decision by Portugal’s national team coach Fernando Santos to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for a World Cup qualifying match in Qatar. Erdoğan suggested the move undermined Ronaldo and viewed the benching as a political sanction that could sap the player’s energy and morale as the game wore on. Reports indicate Ronaldo was on his way to Saudi Arabia after the match, a development tied in discussions to his support for the Palestinian cause. Erdoğan also noted the rising status of Kylian Mbappé, declaring that Mbappé represents the future of football. The remarks were cited by the Turkish state news agency Anatolia.
In the Qatar World Cup quarterfinal, Portugal faced Morocco and suffered a 0-1 defeat. Ronaldo was listed among the substitutes for the match and entered the field only in the 51st minute, failing to produce a decisive impact on the result. Earlier, Ronaldo had also started on the bench for Portugal’s 1/8 final match against Switzerland. The substitute who started that 1/8 game went on to claim a hat-trick, underscoring the depth of Portugal’s squad beyond Ronaldo at that tournament.
Earlier discussions within Saudi football circles highlighted Ronaldo’s potential significance for the kingdom, with talks suggesting a high level of interest in his arrival for Al-Nasr. These discussions reflected broader regional attention on Ronaldo’s career moves and their potential implications for the sport and local footballing prestige. The ongoing debate captured headlines across multiple outlets and drew comments from various football officials and analysts.
[Citation attribution: Anatolia]