Portugal Coach Fernando Santos Opens Up On Benching Star In World Cup Round of 16 Game
Fernando Santos said his decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo out of his team for Tuesday’s 6-1 triumph over Switzerland in the World Cup last 16 had been “strategic and nothing more.”
Portugal Coach Fernando Santos Opens Up On Benching Star In World Cup Round of 16 Game
Portugal coach Fernando Santos said his decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo out of his team for Tuesday’s 6-1 triumph over Switzerland in the World Cup last 16 had been “strategic and nothing more.” Santos had expressed his unhappiness with Ronaldo’s reaction to being suspended in the final group stage game against South Korea but he said that matter had no impact. “I said that it was closed and it was closed. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world playing professionally and as a captain. so we have to just think about this team collectively,” he said.
Asked whether it was the most difficult decision of his career to leave out Ronaldo, Santos said: “I have a very close relationship I always have, known him since he was 19 at Sporting, and then for years here in the national squad,” he said.
“Ronaldo and I never confuse the human and personal aspect with the coach and player relationship. He is a very important player to have in the team,” he said. Santos said he expected a “very difficult” game against Morocco in the quarter-finals but said his team were clearly in good form.
“If we can continue like this and improve some things then that is a good path,” he added.
Fernando Manuel Fernandes da Costa Santos GOM (born 10 October 1954) is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who played as a defender. He is the manager of the Portugal national team.
He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 161 games and two goals over eight seasons, almost always with Estoril. After retiring, he worked as a coach for several decades, starting out at his main club in 1988.
In his coaching career, Santos has managed Portugal’s Big Three, winning five major titles with Porto. For the better part of the 2000s, he worked in Greece, mainly with AEK Athens and PAOK. In 2010, he was appointed at the helm of the Greece national team, coaching them in a World Cup and one European Championship. Subsequently, he led Portugal to victory in the Euro 2016 and the 2019 Nations League, which were the first two major titles in the nation’s history.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɾiʃˈtjɐnu ʁɔˈnaɫdu]; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and captains the Portugal national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards and four European Golden Shoes, the most by a European player. He has won 32 trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, and the UEFA European Championship. Ronaldo holds the records for most appearances (183), goals (140), and assists (42) in the Champions League, goals in the European Championship (14), international goals (117), and international appearances by a European (191). He is one of the few players to have made over 1,100 professional career appearances, and has scored over 800 official senior career goals for club and country.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and captains the Portugal national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards[note 3] and four European Golden Shoes, the most by a European player. He has won 32 trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, and the UEFA European Championship. Ronaldo holds the records for most appearances (183), goals (140), and assists (42) in the Champions League, goals in the European Championship (14), international goals (117), and international appearances by a European (191). He is one of the few players to have made over 1,100 professional career appearances, and has scored over 800 official senior career goals for club and country.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɾiʃˈtjɐnu ʁɔˈnaɫdu]; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and captains the Portugal national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards and four European Golden Shoes, the most by a European player. He has won 32 trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, and the UEFA European Championship. Ronaldo holds the records for most appearances (183), goals (140), and assists (42) in the Champions League, goals in the European Championship (14), international goals (117), and international appearances by a European (191). He is one of the few players to have made over 1,100 professional career appearances, and has scored over 800 official senior career goals for club and country.
The FIFA assigns a three-letter country code (more properly termed a trigram or trigraph) to each of its member and non-member countries. These are the official codes used by the FIFA and its continental confederations (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA) as name abbreviations of countries and dependent areas, in official competitions.
Fernando Manuel Fernandes da Costa Santos GOM (born 10 October 1954) is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who played as a defender. He is the manager of the Portugal national team.
He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 161 games and two goals over eight seasons, almost always with Estoril. After retiring, he worked as a coach for several decades, starting out at his main club in 1988.
Santos managed Portugal's Big Three, winning five major titles with Porto. For the better part of the 2000s he worked in Greece, mainly with AEK Athens and PAOK. In 2010, he was appointed at the helm of the Greece national team, coaching them in a World Cup and one European Championship. Subsequently, he led Portugal to victory in the Euro 2016 and the 2019 Nations League, which were the first two major titles in the nation's history.
