WORLD CUP: Cristiano Ronaldo still centre of attention for Portugal

DOHA, Qatar — Portugal are on the verge of making it to the semifinal of the FIFA World Cup for the third time in its history, yet all the talk leading into the game Saturday against Morocco is on Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 37-year-old superstar was parked on the bench for 75 minutes of the 6-1 victory against Switzerland in the previous round and his 21-year-old replacement Goncalo Ramos went on to score a hat-trick.

Ronaldo got in trouble with his coach Fernando Santos after objecting to be being substituted, in essentially, a meaningless game against South Korea in the group stage.

In what appeared to be a power move, Santos sat Ronaldo against Switzerland and it worked out so well, there are questions whether he will start on the bench again in the quarterfinal against Morocco (10 a.m. ET, TSN) at the Al Thumama Stadium.

Ronaldo was rumoured to be so unhappy that he might leave the team all together, but Santos dispelled those Friday.

“He has never told me that he wanted to leave our national team,” Santos said. “I think it’s time we stopped with this conversation and stopped trying to create problems.”
Ronaldo has been the face of Portugal soccer for the better part of two decades and almost single-handedly helped it win the 2016 Euro championship, even though he was injured early into the final.

So to be dropped unceremoniously from the team was tough for Ronaldo, who is currently without a club after parting ways with Manchester United prior to the tournament. It was reported Ronaldo was set to sign a $200-million a year contract with Saudi club Al Nassar after the tournament. Ronaldo denied the move after the win against Switzerland.

“Yes, we did have a conversation and it would have been wrong if we didn’t have this conversation,” Santos said. “Since I’ve taken over the national team, I have worked to have a closer relationship with the players; I’ve always done that throughout my career.

“I don’t have conversations like that with all my players, but he’s the captain of the team and it’s important to recognize what he represents for Portugal football, for the Portuguese people and for the national team. I needed to talk to him.”

Santos was not happy with video showing Ronaldo’s displeasure at being substituted in the 65th minute against Korea. Portugal had already gone through with wins against Ghana and Uruguay and went on to lose 2-1 to Korea.

Three days later, Ronaldo was on the bench, which Santos said was a moved due to tactics, which is what he told his star player.

“When we had this conversation it was on the match day, after lunch, I didn’t have any conversations with him before that,” Santos said. “On that day, the day of the game, I explained to him why he would not start. I explained it to him, because I didn’t want him to be surprised.

“Obviously, Cristiano was not very happy about it, he’s always been a starter, with the exception of one or two games. He asked if I really thought it was a good idea. We had a normal conversation where I explained to him my viewpoints and he accepted and we had a normal conversations.”
Portugal actually looked better without Ronaldo on the field. Portugal international Jose Fonte, 38, who did not make the World Cup team suggested the side was more at ease without Ronaldo on the field, because younger players are not always focused on giving him the ball.

On more than one occasion, Ronaldo has berated teammates for not giving him the ball.

“I don’t feel that, I don’t think it I feel obligated to pass Cristiano the ball, we always try to do the very best on the field to pass to the best player and the one who is open,” said Portugal forward Joao Felix. “Obviously, everyone has their opinion and can interpret the match the way they feel. But in my opinion, I don’t feel obligated to pass him the ball.”

Considering the way Portugal played against Switzerland, it might not matter either way if Ronaldo starts.

“Whether Cristiano is on the field or not, there are something that occur when he’s not on and some that happen with him on it,” Felix said. “It really depends. I think in the Switzerland match, maybe we played differently for other reasons and when he’s not on the field, we have other players who do different things in another manner.”

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris makes his living with Tottenham Hotspur, so is well aware of the threat England present heading into their quarterfinal match-up Saturday.

France are looking to repeat as World Cup champions, and become the first nation to do it since Pele and Brazil accomplished the feat in 1958 and 1962.

“I think that the English players are internationally renowned for their league, the Premier League, and for their very competitive clubs in European competitions, too,” Lloris said Friday. “Most of us know them very well; we’re used to coming up against them, others even get to see them every day in England.”

France and England have not met at a World Cup since the group stage in 1982 in Spain. England won 3-1, but went on to be eliminated in the second group phase of that particular tournament.

France advanced to the semifinal, where it lost in an epic penalty shootout to West Germany after taking a two-goal lead in extra time.

“The France-England rivalry, it obviously exists,” Lloris said. “They’re two major nations in football, but this rivalry exists in other sports, too, like rugby union. Whenever you’re in a competition involving two top-level teams, it generates great battles and in an event like the World Cup, a France-England game obviously has a special flavour.”

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