On December 10, 2022, we’ll know if Cristiano Ronaldo plays in the quarterfinals or is benched again. Without Ronaldo, Portuguese football’s future could be bleak.
Portugal dominated Switzerland in the round of 16 on Tuesday, winning 6-1. A star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, was benched during the game. However, he played for 17 minutes as a substitute but couldn’t score any goals.
Ronaldo and the crowd appeared furious as a result of Fernando Santos’ choice. Goncalo Ramos, age 21, was forced to play because Santos wanted to give new players a chance. Fans, however, were not pleased with his choice and questioned why Santos made the best player in the world, who has the highest record of goals scored, sit on the bench. Surprisingly, Ramos paid back by scoring an incredible hat-trick in his debut, virtually single-handedly securing his team’s spot in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup for himself and his team.
The key question right now is whether Cristiano Ronaldo will play in the quarterfinals or if he will sit out again on December 10, 2022. A future of football without the greatest player in history could be frightful for the upcoming generation of Portuguese. There is disappointment among his teammates as well as Ronaldo’s huge number of fans.
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Although fate has supported Goncalo Ramos in the current match for the first time, it cannot be assured that he will show the same performance in the upcoming matches. The extraordinary performances given by Ronaldo have set a benchmark in the soccer game and cannot be overshadowed by any of the football players in the future.
Disheartened by the current scenario, his fellow team members Joao Felix and Gonçalo Ramos said that Ronaldo is irreplaceable and the national team has never imagined a team without him involved in the play. The Portuguese soccer federation also put forward their views, saying that Ronaldo was thoroughly dedicated to the national team, had built up a unique record with his hard work and service for his country, and had an undoubted commitment to the national team.
After all this threatening news and comments showing hype about Ronaldo’s exit from the 2022 FIFA tournament, he wrote in a social media post on Thursday that the Portugal team is too united to be broken up by such external forces, to which Portugal midfielder Otávio also agreed and added that he had not witnessed any argument among the team and they are all more focussed on playing the game and winning the trophy.
