"He has to sit on the bench" - England legend explains why Cristiano Ronaldo must be benched at FIFA World Cup

Former England defender Stuart Pearce has backed Fernando Santos' decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash with Switzerland. The Portuguese forward was unhappy with the decision as he came off the bench in the second half of their 6-1 win on December 6.

The English legend compared the situation to his decision to bench David Beckham at the Olympics in 2012. He believes the calls are tough but they need to be taken to ensure the side performs better.

Speaking on talkSPORT about his experience and the call he made with Beckham, Pearce said:

"You all know in your heart of hearts if they do or don't. One of the most difficult calls I've had to make in my managerial career and personal life is to leave David Beckham out of the Olympic squad when he'd done so much to bring the Olympic Games to Great Britain and I was acutely aware of that and the clamour of Adidas wanting him to be in there and various other bits and pieces."

Going on to speak about Ronaldo and the decision, Pearce said:

"It was all a side issue to the most important thing. Are you good enough to be in the squad, or are you not? If someone is in the squad, like they are now and we are talking about Cristiano, are you good enough to start the game if we want to win the game?"

He added:

"If the answer is no, then he has to sit on the bench and hopes the manager turns round and says 'I'm going to put you on the bench now to influence the game in some shape or form'. That's the nature of our profession."

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Cristiano Ronaldo refutes claims of threatening to leave FIFA World Cup squad

Cristiano Ronaldo has rebuffed claims that he wanted to leave the FIFA World Cup squad after getting benched against Switzerland.

The former Manchester United forward blamed the media for spreading rumors and trying to divide the team that is trying to win the tournament.

Ronaldo has scored just once at the FIFA World Cup and that came in the first match against Ghana. They will next take on Morocco in the quarter-finals tomorrow (December 10).