Portugal decided they could be better off without Cristiano Ronaldo, following Manchester United’s lead.
And they were better off without him, as Portugal’s coach Fernando Santos was rewarded for his bravery in benching his nation’s sporting icon with a complete attacking performance and a 6-1 victory over Switzerland, setting up a World Cup quarterfinal matchup against Morocco.
Santos was not only right to bench Ronaldo after publicly criticizing his substitution gestures in the final group match against South Korea, but he also struck gold when his young replacement Goncalo Ramos hit an outstanding hat-trick.
It has been a bruising time for 37-year-old Ronaldo’s considerable pride and ego as first his Manchester United career ended in acrimony following public criticism of the club and now Portugal did what was previously unthinkable – at least going as far back as 31 games and before Euro 2008 – and ditched him from their starting line-up at a major tournament.
This was certainly the bravest selectorial call of this World Cup and the biggest of Santos’ eight-year time in charge of Portugal.
