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Football fans have taken to Twitter to mock Cristiano Ronaldo as he starts on the bench for Portugal's FIFA World Cup quarter-final clash against Morocco.
A Selecao manager Fernando Santos has chosen to bench their captain for the second game in a row and start Goncalo Ramos instead. It turned out to be an excellent decision in their Round of 16 game against Switzerland on December 6.
Ramos scored a hat-trick and provided an assist to help his side win 6-1 to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup last eight.
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He will now hope to help them beat a resolute Moroccan side who are yet to allow an opponent to score against them. They have conceded just one goal in four games at the 2022 FIFA World Cup - an own goal by Nayef Aguerd in their 2-1 win against Canada.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has scored just once in the tournament, a penalty in their 3-2 win over Ghana in Portugal's opening game. He also started in their 2-0 win over Uruguay and a 2-1 loss against South Korea.
The legendary forward is on the bench against Morocco and fans took to Twitter to mock him. Here are some of their reactions:
Portugal manager Fernando Santos on Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of FIFA World Cup clash against Morocco
Rumors have been at an all-time high regarding Ronaldo following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. The forward slammed Manchester United's owners, manager Erik ten Hag and former striker Wayne Rooney.
Following the interview, the Red Devils mutually terminated his contract. Many reports suggest that the former Real Madrid man is close to moving to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr FC.
There were also rumors that he wanted to leave Portugal's FIFA World Cup camp after he was benched against Switzerland. Ahead of their clash against Morocco, Santos urged the media to leave the five-time Ballon d'Or winner alone, as he said (via GOAL):
"I think it's high time to leave Ronaldo alone. He has never told me that he wanted to leave our national team and I think it's high time we stopped with this conversation, that we stop with the polemics."
The 37-year-old is currently a free agent and his next club will be decided in the January transfer window. However, at this point in time, Ronaldo will hope to help Portugal in what is most likely his last FIFA World Cup. Whether or not he will get the chance is a separate matter.
