Cristiano Ronaldo’s brutal 2022 World Cup continues as Portugal coach rips him

It took only three games for Cristiano Ronaldo to add Portuguese boss Fernando Santos to the list of managers who could drop him this season.

After Ronaldo appeared upset at being subbed off in Portugal’s final group stage game against South Korea, Santos said he didn’t appreciate the player’s attitude. Ronaldo seemed to swear at the manager, though he claims he was talking to a South Korean player.

“Right after the match, I spoke at the flash interview and then went to the press conference, and there said something I’ll repeat here: on the pitch, I didn’t hear anything,” Santos said Monday. “I was too far [away] and this is why I only saw him arguing with a South Korean player, and nothing else.

“Have I already watched the footage? Yes. I didn’t like it. Didn’t like it at all. From there, it’s things you sort out internally. It was sorted out this way and now we think about the game tomorrow. Everyone is focused on the game.”

Ronaldo was also criticized this World Cup when he appeared to take credit for a Bruno Fernandes goal, acting as though he got his head on it when the replay showed he did not.

Whether Santos will drop Ronaldo – a decision that would put him under major scrutiny should it go wrong – remains to be seen. But it looks as though Ronaldo’s gripes about playing time at Manchester United would indeed carry over to the national team.

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“What happened was before my substitution, the South Korea player told me to get up quickly,” Ronaldo said after the game. “I told him to shut up as he doesn’t have that authority. There was no disagreement [with Santos].”

After the game, Santos backed up that version of events. But he no longer seems willing to do so.

Portugal takes on Switzerland on Tuesday in the knockout stage.