“I’ll be happy if he doesn’t play” – Morocco coach delivers honest Cristiano Ronaldo claim ahead of FIFA World Cup QF against Portugal

Morocco manager Walid Regragui has claimed that he would be happy if Cristiano Ronaldo is on the bench for their FIFA World Cup clash against Portugal. The two sides will clash in the quarter-finals at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday, December 10.

A Selecao manager Fernando Santos made the bold decision to bench their captain in their Round of 16 clash against Switzerland on December 7. It turned out to be a brilliant decision as Ronaldo's replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick and also provided an assist. They won 6-1 to book their place in the quarter-finals.

Morocco manager Regragui believes he would like to see the former Manchester United man on the bench again on Saturday, as he said (via A Bola):

"We are going to play against one of the best teams in the world, with very skilled players. I don't know if Ronaldo will play, I hope not, I know he's one of the best footballers in history, so I'll be happy if he doesn't play."

He added:

"Portugal also wants to reach the semi-finals, but we have to be optimistic and also humble. We already got a great result against Spain, will we get another one tomorrow? I hope so."

Ronaldo has scored just once in the tournament so far, a penalty in their 3-2 win over Ghana in their opening game.

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Walid Regragui on Morocco reaching the quarter-final against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal

The Atlas Lions have had a sensational 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar so far. They are unbeaten in four matches and no opponent has scored against them. The only goal they conceded was Nayef Aguerd's own goal in their 2-1 win over Canada.

They will now face a tough challenge from Ronaldo and Co. tomorrow. Regragui stated that he is proud of his side reaching the quarter-finals as he said:

“I am proud for my country, for my team and for having reached this stage. We represent Morocco, our people and for the first time an Arab team is in the quarterfinals of a World Cup. We have a whole continent that supports us and we have felt this positive energy."

He added:

"We're very excited, it's a great honor to be at this stage and we'll do our best to win. You still haven't seen this selection from Morocco at 100 percent and that shows the evolution we've had."

Morocco topped their group comprising Croatia, Canada, and Belgium. They will hope to continue their dream run in Qatar and book a semi-final berth.