Cristiano Ronaldo: The Portuguese Football Federation denies reports that the star threatened to walk out of the World Cup camp

CNN
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The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) denied the star striker on Thursday Cristiano Ronaldo had threatened to leave the World Cup squad after being named as a substitute against Switzerland earlier this week.

The 37-year-old striker was dropped from the starting line-up for Tuesday’s last 16 clash with his replacement the Benfica striker. gonalo Ramosstepped up and scored a sublime hat-trick as Portugal struck Switzerland 6-1.

Portuguese publication Record reported on Thursday that the striker had previously threatened to leave the team after speaking with manager Fernando Santos.

The FPF clarifies that national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo never threatened to leave the national team during his stay in Qatar.

Every day, Cristiano Ronaldo builds a unique history of service to the national team and country, which must be respected and which speaks of an undeniable commitment to the national team.

Ronaldo too moved to social media just hours after the FPF issued a statement to reaffirm its commitment to the team, saying: The group is too united to be broken by outside forces. A people too brave to fear the enemy. A team in the truest sense of the word, fighting for the dream until the end! Believe with us!

It’s still not clear why Ronaldo was dropped to the bench, but his performances recently have fallen well short of the lofty standards he’s set for himself throughout his career.

Santos said in a pre-match press conference ahead of the round of 16 that he was unhappy with the captains’ reaction when he was substituted in the previous match against South Korea.

It was the first time Ronaldo was left out of Portugal’s starting line-up at a major tournament since Euro 2008.

Without the veteran striker, the Portuguese outfit looked more energetic going forward and youngster Ramos gave Swiss defenders nightmares with his intensity and quality in the final third.

The win against Switzerland was Portugal’s best performance of the tournament and raises the question of whether Ronaldo will be able to fight his way back into the starting line-up for his side’s quarter-final clash against Morocco on Saturday as it looks set to book a place in the quarter-finals. for the first time since 2006.