Ninety minutes after barring Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal’s lineup, Fernando Santos preferred to praise the star’s behavior.
The coach knew he was on top and that his decision, with the potential to go down in World Cup history for the wrong reasons, paid off.
With the young Gonçalo Ramos, 21, in the attack, the team thrashed Switzerland by 6 to 1 this Tuesday (6) and qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament. Next Saturday (10), they face Morocco.
The change worked so well that Portugal not only thrashed, but Ramos scored three goals.
“It’s good to see the example of this player, the best in the world. The way he celebrated the goals, how he behaved and how he entered. We have to exalt the spirit of this team”, said Santos.
The change comes after Ronaldo cursed Santos when he was replaced in the last round of the group stage, when the team was defeated by South Korea by 2-1. The coach confirmed that the curse had been for him and that had not liked.
“I have a very close relationship with him. [Ronaldo]🇧🇷 Always had. I’ve known him since I was 19. When I arrived at the national team, in 2014, neither Cristiano nor I started to confuse the human relationship with the relationship on the pitch. From my perspective, he remains a very important player.”
The change is yet another recent episode in the controversy of the athlete who arrived in Qatar for his last World Cup. He terminated his contract with Manchester United after giving an interview in which he said he felt betrayed. Waiting for the call from a big club in Europe, but none have come so far.
At the World Cup, he celebrated a goal against Uruguay, actually scored by Bruno Fernandes, and even saw the Portuguese federation ask FIFA to review the scoresheet so that the goal could be credited to him. Adidas, manufacturer of the World Cup ball, clarified that the sensors did not register Cristiano’s touch in the move.
Despite the diplomacy and praise, Santos was not committed to the return of his most famous player in the quarterfinals. He just said he’s going to study Morocco and assemble the lineup with names that represent “the best strategy for the game.”
“As I’ve always done in my career”, he added, forgetting that the number 7 has always been a starter within that philosophy.
A fan of Lewandowski, Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo (of course), Gonçalo Ramos said he thought about going back to the hotel soon to talk to his parents and his best friends.
“Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined debuting in a World Cup knockout match and scoring a hat-trick,” he said, using the English expression for someone who scores three times in the same game.
He also said he received no special advice from the veteran he replaced.
“Cristiano is our captain and he did what he does every game. He gave me and the other players a word of support.”
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