The Portuguese coach does not like Ronaldo's attitude

* Portugal - Switzerland: 2:00 pm on December 7, on MetaSports.

On December 2, Ronaldo started and left the field in the 65th minute, when Portugal was drawing 1-1 with Korea. On his way off the pitch, the 37-year-old striker mumbled something with an angry expression. After the game, he denied being dissatisfied with the coaching staff's decision to substitute, but only responded to the Korean player when he was urged to quickly leave the field.

Santos was not satisfied with Ronaldo's response, but said he had resolved the issue before the match against Switzerland in the 1/8 round of the 2022 World Cup today.

"I have seen pictures of Ronaldo when he left the field. It is true that I do not like such a reaction," the Portuguese coach said on December 5, at the pre-match press conference. "But this has been resolved internally. Let's stop this, and focus on tomorrow's game."

Before Korea, Ronaldo had many opportunities but missed. Not only that, he also accidentally contributed to the opponent's equalizer at 1-1 in the 27th minute, when the ball hit his back and fell to Kim Young-gwon's position in the defensive situation against the corner.

Before the match against Switzerland, A Bola newspaper surveyed and recorded that 70% of Portuguese fans wanted Ronaldo as a substitute. In this daily, fans said that the 37-year-old striker's influence on the team has decreased significantly. Through three group stage matches, Ronaldo scored a goal from a penalty in a 3-2 win over Ghana and has yet to create a goal.

However, Santos dodged when asked about Ronaldo's ability to start against Switzerland. He said: "I only choose the starting line-up when I get to the field, in the dressing room, before the game. I always do that."

Just before the press conference, Marca newspaper reported that Ronaldo had signed a contract worth $ 200 million per year with Al Nassr club, on a two-and-a-half year contract. The Portuguese captain is currently a free agent after terminating his contract with Man Utd at the end of November. Coach Santos confirmed that he did not know about this information and would not interfere in Ronaldo's decision. The 68-year-old coach also emphasized that the entire Portuguese team is focusing on the World Cup 2022.

According to Santos, Switzerland has a well-organized squad with quality players who have played together for a long time, diverse when they can play well in both 4-4-2 and 4-3- 3. He praised Switzerland for doing well in the group stage, including the loss to Brazil when Xherdan Shaqiri was injured. But Santos insists "Portugal's obligation is to win and will give everything on the pitch for this goal".