"Cristiano Ronaldo literally gave him a coaching career" - Fans slam Fernando Santos following his poor start to life as Azerbaijan manager

Fans have blasted Cristiano Ronaldo's former Portugal head coach Fernando Santos after his poor start to life as in charge of the Azerbaijan national team. The 70-year-old manager has lost five and drawn one of his first six games with the side.

Following another poor performance from the manager's side in their 6-0 loss to Sweden in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday (November 19), fans took to X to blast Santos, with one fan posting:

"Cristiano Ronaldo literally gave Fernando Santos a coaching career."

Another critical fan blasted the Portuguese tactician, posting:

"Cristiano Ronaldo really made the whole world believe that Fernando Santos was a good coach."

Another post read:

"He should be thankful to Ronaldo."

Another post echoed the same sentiment, saying:

"Ronaldo carried this guy."

The final post in our selection read:

"The downfall is insane, from Portugal to Poland to Azerbaijan."

Santos has not enjoyed much success since he left his post as the manager of his homeland's national team in December 2022 after an eight-year stint. He coached Poland, Besiktas, and now Azerbaijan for 28 games and has only managed 10 wins while drawing four and losing 14 of those games.

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"From my side, the relationship is the same, and he continues to be like a son to me" - When Fernando Santos spoke about his equation with Cristiano Ronaldo

In 2023, former Portugal manager Fernando Santos opened up about his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair worked with the national team for nearly a decade, but their relationship fell apart after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Ronaldo played 82 times for Santos, scoring 68 times and providing 17 assists to help their nation to glory at Euro 2016 and the 2019 UEFA Nations League. During a discussion with A Bola (via GOAL), the 70-year-old had said:

"We haven't spoken since I came from Qatar. On the day of the game, in the morning, when I went to explain that he wasn't going to play and why he wasn't playing, he misunderstood. From my side, the relationship is the same, and he continues to be like a son to me. The day the phone rings, he knows I'm always here."

Santos is currently the manager of the European side Azerbaijan and has struggled to get the team to perform at a high level since his arrival. Ronaldo remains vital to Portugal and has bagged five goals in the ongoing UEFA Nations League A.