Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to leave the Portugal World Cup squad after he was left on the bench against Switzerland.
Despite Portugal’s successful World Cup so far, it hasn’t been the greatest tournament for Ronaldo. The 37-year-old has struggled to perform consistently throughout the tournament and was recently dropped to the bench against Switzerland, with the manager’s decision proving right after they won the game 6-1.
There’s no doubt Ronaldo would have been devastated to learn he was not going to start the game, and according to Record, Ronaldo threatened to leave the Portugal World Cup squad after the controversial decision was made to bench him.
Antics like this could have a detrimental effect on Portugal’s success, so as an experienced player Ronaldo should be putting the team first and respect the decision of the manager.
It appears that Ronaldo is finding it difficult to accept the fact that managers aren’t willing to build their team around Ronaldo anymore, which is completely understandable due to his age.
A similar situation has occurred at Manchester United this season, with Erik ten Hag mostly utilising Ronaldo from the bench, which has led to his contract being terminated.