CRISTIANO RONALDO is starting what could be his FINAL World Cup game from Portugal’s substitutes bench against Switzerland.
The 37-year-old has endured a dismal World Cup campaign so far, scoring just once, with the goal coming from the penalty spot in the 3-2 win over Ghana.
He then tried to claim Bruno Fernandes’ opener in the 2-0 win over Uruguay.
And in Portugal’s final group game, Ronaldo played a part in South Korea’s equaliser, turning his back while defending a corner, which then fell to Kim Young-gwon.
Ronaldo was pulled off early in the second half and replaced by Andre Silva, which saw the five-time Ballon d’Or winner start to sulk.
Ronaldo’s substitution antics did not impress Euro 2016-winning boss Fernando Santos, who publicly slammed the all-time top scorer.
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Santos also refused to rule out benching the Portugal captain in his pre-match Switzerland press conference.
The 68-year-old has now made the decision to drop Ronaldo to the substitutes bench for the World Cup clash and has instead opted for Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos.
Ronaldo will start the game from the sidelines in what could be his final World Cup game should Switzerland pull off a shock knockout win.
The 819 career-goal icon is yet to announce where he will be playing his club football after the World Cup.
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Manchester United decided to rip up Ronaldo’s contract after his explosive sit-down interview with SunSport columnist and TalkTV main man Piers Morgan.
It is said he will move to the Middle East to play for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Marca reported last week that Ronaldo had agreed a stunning £173million-a-year deal with Al-Nassr.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
