DOHA, Qatar — Portugal coach Fernando Santos has said it’s “high time” to leave Cristiano Ronaldo alone after facing another news conference dominated by questions about the striker.
Speaking on Friday, Santos gave a detailed account of a conversation with Ronaldo during which he told the 37-year-old he would be dropped for the round-of-16 tie against Switzerland.
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He also clarified suggestions Ronaldo had tried to leave the World Cup, but afterwards tried to put a stop to questions about the former Manchester United forward.
“I spoke to him after lunch on the day of the game and invited him into my office,” Santos said.
“For obvious reasons Cristiano was not happy about it as he has always been the starting player.
“He told me: ‘Do you really think it’s a good idea?’ But we had a normal conversation in which I explained my viewpoints and of course he accepted them. We had a frank and normal conversation.
“He has never told me he wanted to leave the national team and it’s high time we stopped with the conversation.
“He decided to warm up with his colleagues and celebrated all the goals we scored. At the end he was the one who invited his colleagues to thank the fans.
“It’s high time to leave Cristiano Ronaldo alone. In every news conference, 90% of the questions are about Cristiano Ronaldo.”
