The coach of the Portugal national team, Fernando Santos, spoke at a press conference before the quarter-final match of the 2022 World Cup against Morocco in Qatar. The match took a back seat after the controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo.

Fernando Santos denies Ronaldo’s reaction

In the last few days, it was said that the Portuguese star wants to leave the national team, which Fernando Santos denied.

“He never told me he wanted to leave the team. You have to look at his attitude. He celebrated the goals with his teammates and thanked the fans,” Santos said, according to Marca.

The discussion was before the match with Switzerland

Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Santos argued before the match with Switzerland, in which the footballer was left on the bench.

“We had a discussion. I told him that I was not going to start the Round of 16 with him in the starting line-up. He was not pleased as usual. But it was a normal conversation in which everyone expressed their point of view,” the breeder claims.

Fernando Santos understands Cristiano’s frustration but says the player never threatened to leave Portugal’s training camp.

“When a football player is the captain of Portugal and remains on the bench, it is normal that he is not happy. When I told him he wasn’t going to start, he asked me if it was a good idea. Of course, he was not happy, but I assure you, he did not want to leave the team,” Santos announced before the quarter-final match of the 2022 World Cup.

Portugal will face Morocco on Saturday at 17:00 in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar.