"World Cup waits for nobody" - Ex-Italy international suggests Cristiano Ronaldo should be content with super sub role for Portugal
Former Italy international Daniele Adani has suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo should be content with a substitute role after Portugal's 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Selecao marched into the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 2006 with a clinical display that saw Goncalo Ramos score a hat-trick.
Ronaldo was dropped from the starting line-up by head coach Fernando Santos in favor of Ramos before the Portugal captain entered the game midway through the second half. He had the ball in the back of the net at one point but it was flagged offside.
Not only did Fernando Santos bench Cristiano Ronaldo, but also decided to replace him with 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos who had yet to make his World Cup debut.
A bold managerial decision that paid off for Portugal 👏 https://t.co/kKPMJHQSpL
Nonetheless, it was a historic night for Portugal, who had no issues dispatching the Swiss even without their talismanic skipper.
Adani, a former Juventus forward, later said that the World Cup doesn't wait for anybody, including Ronaldo, who he feels should play a substitute role.
Speaking to Rai Sport, he said (via Football Italia):
“The World Cup is the most important football tournament and it waits for nobody, not even Ronaldo.
“Ronaldo can be useful even in the last 20 minutes if he can no longer play for the entire match at a certain level, provided he has the right attitude.”
Ronaldo had a terrible game in his team's 2-1 loss to South Korea in their final group match. In that game, a mistake from him even allowed the Taegeuk Warriors to equalize and trigger the comeback.
If that wasn't enough, he was later named in Sofa Score's worst XI of the group stages with an average rating of just 6.37 across three games. His only notable contribution so far has been a penalty in their opening game win over Ghana.
Portugal face Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals
Portugal's quest for a first-ever FIFA World Cup title continues on Saturday against Morocco in the quarter-finals.
The Atlas Lions have emerged as the tournament's biggest underdogs after coming up trumps against some of the European heavyweights.
🍿
MOROCCO VS. PORTUGAL IN THE QUARTERFINALS 👀🍿 https://t.co/72W6m6gpsY
Walid Regragui's side held Croatia to a draw and defeated Belgium in one of the biggest upsets of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
On Tuesday, they held out Spain for 120 minutes before beating them on penalties to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. They managed to overcome a Spanish team that had 77 percent of possession and earned eight corners.
Portugal will be another test of their mettle, especially after the Selecao's stunning performance to knock out Switzerland today.
The match can't come soon enough!