Gary Neville believes that Cristiano Ronaldo's "petulance" is one of the main reasons why he was dropped for Portugal's last-16 tie with Switzerland.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was surprisingly benched by Fernando Santos for the crucial game against the Swiss at Lusail Stadium, with Goncalo Ramos replacing him in the starting XI. Ronaldo started all three of Portugal's group-stage fixtures but was substituted in their 2-1 defeat against South Korea last time out.
Portugal boss Santos admitted he was annoyed with the free agent's angry reaction to his withdrawal, as Ronaldo appeared to sulk and throw his arms in the air. Ronaldo's benching was the latest blow to the 37-year-old after his release from Manchester United last month following a controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
After the team news was released, Neville said on ITV : "When it happened it United [Ronaldo being benched], it was the suggestion it was because [Erik] Ten Hag was trying to make a move on him, establish his authority.
"This is a manager [Santos] who’s got an unbelievable relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo for eight years and there are a lot of fans of Cristiano Ronaldo who aren’t willing to tell him the truth. And I think he does need to listen to the truth, that it’s becoming a little bit of a scruffy end.
"It wouldn’t surprise me if he came on tonight and scored the winner, but the petulance, the stomping around, the sulking, it’s got to stop because it doesn’t reflect on him well. His legacy is set, that’s protected as one of the greatest football players of all time. But in the short term, he’s got to do a lot better.
"Is the Juventus manager wrong? Is the Manchester United manager wrong? And is the Portugal manager wrong? That’s three of them now who’ve done the same thing with him."
Image:
Getty Images)Ronaldo scored in Portugal's opening-game win over Ghana, netting from the penalty spot as Santos' side ran out 3-2 winners. The former Juventus man helped Portugal record their second successive victory and book their place in the knockout stage with a 2-0 success over Uruguay, although he failed to find the net.
Ronaldo then failed to perform in the clash against South Korea - a game where he was subbed off in the second-half. He notably reacted angrily to being replaced as Portugal tried to win the game. Santos wasn't happy with Ronaldo's response and admitted the issue had to be dealt with behind the scenes.
"When the game ended, I went to the flash [interview] and then I went to the press conference," Santos explained. "I repeat: on the field, I didn't hear anything, I was very far away and I only heard that he was arguing with the Korean player.
"Have I seen the images later? Yes. Did I like it? No. I really didn't like it at all. But from there, those issues are resolved at home and it's time to think about tomorrow's game, which we are all focused on."
