Bruno Fernandes has defended Cristiano Ronaldo after dropping to the Portugal bench but has fired a warning to Fernando Santos ahead of their World Cup quarter-final....CONTINUE READING
This article contains affiliate links, we may receive a commission on any sales we generate from it.
Bruno Fernandes has warned Portugal manager Fernando Santos that he will be ‘angry’ if he suffers the same fate as Cristiano Ronaldo in their World Cup quarter-final against Morocco.
Ronaldo dropped to the bench in Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland on Tuesday and could face remaining in a bit-part role for the remainder of the campaign.
The 37-year-old striker’s replacement, Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos, netted a memorable hat-trick on his World Cup debut, adding to goals from Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leao in the statement triumph.
But Ronaldo’s antics grabbed the headlines, most notably his decision to walk down the tunnel alone at full-time rather than celebrate with his team-mates.
Fernandes has defended his former Manchester United pal, though, claiming no player would be happy with a demotion to the bench on such a big stage. And the 28-year-old used himself as an example, warning Santos to forget about any idea of doing the same to him against Morocco on Saturday.
He explained: “Do you think anyone likes to be on the bench? Jose Sa? He hasn’t played one minute. He knows that he’s the third goalkeeper. Probably, he’s not happy to be on the bench, and do you think Cristiano will be happy? If the manager in the next game puts me on the bench, I will be angry with him.”
Fernandes’ worries likely won’t come to fruition if he’s fit to feature in the quarter-finals. The United maestro is one of the contenders for Player of the Tournament, registering two goals and three assists in three games against Ghana, Uruguay and Switzerland.
But he isn’t surprised the spotlight has edged in Ronaldo’s direction, as usual, citing his status as sport’s most famous face as the reason. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s antics on the bench and after full-time have made more headlines than Ramos’ incredible hat-trick, which says it all.
“Cristiano is the most famous player in the world of all time,” Fernandes added. “No one is more famous than Cristiano in sports, not in football, in sports. It’s normal that people come to see Cristiano, sharing him and everything. I don’t see any surprises with that.
“I don’t see why people should be surprised with that. Cristiano is Cristiano. His name talks for itself. It’s normal that people are sharing him even when he’s on the bench or if he’s playing. It’s a simple thing.”
