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Fernando Santos has defended his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2022 World Cup knockout games. He said there was no regret over the decision and that it was the best thing to do for the Portugal national team.
Santos benched Ronaldo during their 6-1 win over Switzerland in the Round of 16 and also the 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the quarterfinal. The decision sent shockwaves across the globe, but the new Besiktas boss says it was not a mistake. He said at his unveiling (via Goal.com):
"It was a tactical and technical decision. There was no other situation. Strategic decisions are always the most important things for me. I had to make these decisions and I made them correctly. If we had not been eliminated from the World Cup, there would have been no problem."
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Santos also spoke about the decision at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and said:
"I told him that he was not going to start in the Round of 16. He was not happy with the conversation, as is normal. But it was a normal conversation where everyone showed their point of view. When a player is captain of Portugal and starts on the bench, it's normal for him not to be happy. When I told him that I wasn't going to play as a starter, he asked me if it was a good idea. Of course he wasn't happy. But I assure you that he never wanted to leave."
Cristiano Ronaldo is still playing for the national team, while Santos quit right after they were knocked out. He was without a job since his resignation and has now joined the Turkish giants.
Fernando Santos was slammed by Portuguese politician for Cristiano Ronaldo decision
Fernando Santos was slammed by Miguel Albuquerque after Portugal were knocked out of the FIFA World Cup. The president of the regional government of Madeira took shots at the manager for benching Cristiano Ronaldo and added that he was happy with Santos being without a job.
He was quoted by Record as saying:
"Even more mediocre is a coach who has the best player in the world and to humiliate him, he puts him on the bench. I'm glad that coach was put on the street."
Cristiano Ronaldo played 82 matches under Fernando Santos and scored 68 times. They won the EUROs in 2016 and the UEFA Nations League title before the manager quit in 2022.
