A resounding 70 per cent of Portugal fans want Cristiano Ronaldo dropped for their clash against Switzerland on Tuesday night. Ronaldo and his teammates will lock horns against Switzerland in a last-16 World Cup clash at the Lusail stadium with the winner facing either Morocco or Spain in the quarterfinals.
But the seven-time Ballon d’Or may not get the opportunity to get his fourth start in Qatar if a survey conducted by a Portuguese newspaper is anything to go by.
Media outlet A Bola has ran a poll that asked readers if the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward should start with two options “yes or no”.
The outcome revealed a shocking statistic as the overwhelming majority have said the latter, the Sun reports. A resounding 70 per cent of fans see the Portugal captain as a substitute, with just 30 per cent believing he should retain his place.
Portugal played the Taeguk Warriors in the last Group H fixture, with the latter looking for maximum points and positive results elsewhere to ensure progression.
After 65 minutes, Portugal Head Coach Fernando Santos decided to hook off Ronaldo was visibly upset with the decision. He appeared to mull a few words to the technical area before putting his hands on his mouth and telling him to shut up. Santos has since clarified that Ronaldo wasn’t addressing him but a South Korean player who wanted the former Manchester United striker to hurry off the pitch, as the Mirror reports.