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‘I think he was left out because of his performances, NOT his reaction’: Jamie Carragher believes Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal ax was not due to his substitute stint against South Korea
Jamie Carragher insists that Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out of Portugal’s round of 16 match against Switzerland for performance reasons and not because of his reaction to being replaced against South Korea.
Portugal manager Fernando Santos has left Ronaldo on the bench, just a day after insisting he “didn’t like” the free agent’s angry reaction to being replaced in his last outing.
However, Ronaldo’s performances in Qatar have also been criticized, with Carragher claiming that it is for this reason that Santos made the mass call.
Cristiano Ronaldo dropped to the bench for Portugal’s round of 16 clash against Switzerland
He tweeted: ‘Would Portugal manager Santos drop #Ronaldo just because of his reaction to being substituted in the last game? A club level coach maybe yes. With possibly 3 games to go for a WC final
“I think he’s been left out because of his performances, not because of his reaction.”
Ronaldo arrived at the World Cup after the drama surrounding his controversial interview with Piers Morgan in which he hit out at his former club Manchester United.
Ronaldo was not happy to be disconnected after 65 minutes in Portugal’s clash with South Korea
Fernando Santos admitted he ‘didn’t like’ Ronaldo’s reaction to being replaced
It led to the mutual termination of his contract after a frustrating start to the season, in which he was relegated to the Old Trafford bench by Erik ten Hag.
SofaScore in his worst team from the group stage ratings placed Ronaldo in front with an average rating of 6.37 over his three matches.
Ronaldo has scored just one World Cup goal, from the penalty spot, in their opening 3-2 win over Ghana.
He thought he had scored in the ensuing 2-0 win over Uruguay, although the goal was given to him by now-former teammate Bruno Fernandes.
The 37-year-old started the final match against South Korea but was unhappy after he was substituted in the 65th minute of the game as the nation fell to a shock 2-1 defeat.
Jamie Carragher, however, feels Ronaldo was written off due to disappointing performances
Santos in his pre-match press conference on Monday said: ‘If I see the images, yes, I didn’t like it, not at all. I really didn’t like it.
“Everything is finished, full stop, regarding that issue and now we have to think about the game and everyone is focused on the game.
I only decide who is going to be the captain when I arrive at the stadium, so I don’t know the line-up.
‘That’s what I’ve always done and that’s what I’ll always do. It will be the same with this match.