Cristiano Ronaldo: Why was Portugal star dropped at World Cup 2022? Will he be back to face Morocco in quarter-final?

Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped from the starting XI for Portugal’s last-16 match against Switzerland, which they went on to win emphatically 6-1 to secure their place in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

So let’s recap what the fall-out has been to Ronaldo being dropped amid hysterical reports of the forward apparently threatening to walk out on his team that have been refuted but not successfully dismissed from the relentless news cycle surrounding the star.

But first…

Why was Ronaldo dropped by Santos at the World Cup?

Raising his finger to his lips, the player claimed it was a misunderstanding and that he was actually just directing his ire towards an opposition player, although many did not buy that reasoning and interpreted it to be towards his manager.

“I didn’t like it,” said Santos pretty emphatically ahead of the Switzerland game and subsequently left his captain on the bench. Was it because of his reaction to being substituted? It is not entirely clear but that does seem to be a reasonable explanation.

Alternatively, Santos may have just made the decision on purely footballing grounds, sensing what many pundits and fans thought all along: that Portugal would be more energetic, vibrant and team-oriented without their star man in the starting line-up.

If this was the reason, that Santos simply wanted to confine Ronaldo to the bench to enable his other players to flourish in his absence, it certainly worked.

Speaking after the game, the 68-year-old quickly downplayed any suggestions of a rift with Ronaldo, saying: “There is no problem with our captain. We’ve been friends for years. We spoke before the game and he had no issue with my decision. He’s an example.”

Ramos, Ronaldo’s highly-successful replacement, added of the man he had usurped: “He’s the captain, he’s the leader and we always look forward to playing side by side with him.”

As for the ever-influential Pepe? “Ronaldo is happy and totally focused,” he said. “He knows the most important thing is the national team.”

What has been the fall-out to Ronaldo being dropped at the World Cup?

Following the match, reports in the Portuguese press emerged claiming that the 37-year-old was so displeased at his exclusion that he was on the brink of quitting the tournament.

However, the FPF swiftly moved quickly to quash the suggestion, insisting that Ronaldo remains committed to the team and their goals for the remainder of the competition.

“News released this Thursday reports that Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the national team during a conversation with Fernando Santos, national coach,” a statement read.

“The FPF clarifies that at no time did the captain of the national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, threaten to leave the national team during the internship in Qatar.

“Cristiano Ronaldo builds up a unique track record every day at the service of the national team and the country, which must be respected and which attests to the unquestionable degree of commitment to the national team.”

What has the reaction been to Ronaldo’s behaviour at the World Cup?

All and sundry have thrown in their thoughts on this hot debate so we will not dig up every last word from every last talking head, but here are a few choice words from select pundits.

“The petulance, the stomping around, the sulking… it’s got to stop because it doesn’t reflect well on him at all,” he said.

“His long-term legacy is set, he’s protected, he’s one of the all-time great players, but in the short-term, he’s got to do a lot better because… is the Juventus manager wrong? Is the Manchester United manager wrong? And now, is the Portugal manager wrong? There’s three of them that now have done the same thing with him.”

With the likes of Joao Felix – still only 23 – also impressing in the win over Switzerland, it led Ian Wright to speculate on the future prospects of Portugal without Ronaldo.

“That’s a team that can easily go all the way,” ex-England striker Wright began on ITV Sport. “He [Ronaldo] could still really contribute to this team without maybe having to do so much, because this team can do it without him.

“They’ve proved that before in the Euros [winning in 2016] and they’ve done it today. They were dynamic without him. If he just gets it all right in his head, he could still end up scoring the winning goal for them in the final.”

Roy Keane, speaking to Sky Bet, semi-defended his former team-mate: “Are footballers supposed to be perfect? Cristiano Ronaldo had this attitude 10 years ago, but the following game he would score a hat-trick, and he was 27 – everyone would forgive him. People say that he makes teams worse – Juventus haven’t done anything since he left them a couple of years ago.

“Against Switzerland, the Portugal manager made a correct decision to replace Ronaldo with someone who offered more mobility up front. He [Ramos] scores a hat trick, and everyone looks straight to Ronaldo. I always thought there could be a chance that Ronaldo wouldn’t start a World Cup knockout game for Portugal – he’s 37!”