After the controversy, the clarification that everyone wanted to hear from the national coach. Fernando Santos explains that he talked to Cristiano Ronaldo about staying on the bench “on the day of the game, after lunch”, before announcing to the entire team that he would face Switzerland.
“This conversation had to take place (…) I am not going to say that I do it with everyone, but it was of the most basic justice, because he is the captain of the team, because he is who he is in terms of projection, someone who has already given him a lot to Portuguese football. For what he represents for the team (…) he naturally had to have that conversation.”
“I told him that I didn’t have him at the beginning, but that I had him for the game (…) If Cristiano was satisfied, no (…) it’s normal that he wasn’t satisfied,” he supposes, but it was “a conversation perfectly normal and calm,” she says.
And Fernando Santos goes further: “The day there is a player who is not unhappy about not playing, he will not be able to return to the national team.”
“Everyone is unhappy when they don’t play, either here or at the clubs. They have this ambition, to always play, to be in the starting lineup, because they feel they have the quality and the value for that. In my time, “People said these players had heartburn. I even had a trainer tell us we had to go to the butcher to eat some bait,” he said.
Another necessary clarification: “never at any time [Cristiano Ronaldo] He told me, or anyone else here, that he wanted out of the national team. Never”, reinforces Fernando Santos.
The captain celebrated the goals of all his teammates and vibrated with the game, but everyone focused on the fact that he went out onto the field alone, condemnation. “Leave Ronaldo alone, he doesn’t deserve it.”
“The fundamental thing is the fantastic atmosphere that exists between these 24 players, without that we would not be here for sure.”
Regarding Morocco, Fernando Santos admits that it is a strong team and that it will be a difficult match, but “it will also be difficult for Morocco”.
This Friday, the Portuguese soccer team will carry out the last training session before the quarterfinal match of the 2022 World Cup. Portugal and Morocco will face each other on Saturday, starting at 6:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. in Lisbon). , at the Al Thumama Stadium, in Doha, with a report in TSF🇧🇷
Source: TSF
