Did Cristiano Ronaldo threaten to leave Portugal team? FPF breaks silence on superstar's controversy with coach Fernando Santos - FIFA World Cup 2022

The Portuguese Football Federation cleared the air on Cristiano Ronaldo's argument with coach Fernando Santos stating that the reports of the superstar threatening to leave the camp in Qatar are not true. Reports suggested that the 37-year-old got into a heated argument with his coach after he was benched in an important clash against Switzerland. Ronaldo's place was taken by Goncalo Ramos who scored a hat-trick in Portugal's 6-1 win over Switzerland in the FIFA World Cup 2022 round of 16 clash. ('What a SHAME', Cristiano Ronaldo's gf Georgina takes HUGE dig at Portugal coach, check here)

"The FPF clarifies that at no time did the captain of the Selecao, Cristiano Ronaldo, threaten to leave the national team during the stay in Qatar," said the federation.

"Every day Ronaldo is building up a unique track record at the service of the national team and the country, which must be respected."

Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-capped player for Portugal as well as the leading top-scorer for them and in the international men's football category. The former Manchester United striker was not training with his team on Wednesday as he was taking part in an individual training session.

Otavio: “You know the first thing Ronaldo did when he found out he wouldn’t start? He went to speak to Goncalo and the rest of the team to encourage them. He’s our leader.” pic.twitter.com/HpH3qS2l9S — TC (@totalcristiano) December 8, 2022

Portugal stepping out of Ronaldo's shadow

To Bruno Fernandes, World Cup teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is the most famous athlete in sports. Joao Felix has described Ronaldo as "irreplaceable." Goncalo Ramos, Portugal's new 21-year-old star, has never known his national team without Ronaldo involved in it.

A future without the country's greatest ever player could be a daunting prospect to the up-and-coming generation of Portugal internationals. They aren't showing it at the World Cup. In fact, they showed they might even be liberated by stepping out of Ronaldo's long shadow given the way Portugal demolished Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16 on Tuesday. Turns out there is life after the five-time world player of the year, even if that is hard for some to imagine.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos wanted a team "playing with a lot of fluidity" against Switzerland and that invariably meant leaving the 37-year-old Ronaldo, the player with more goals (118) than anyone in men's international football on the bench. It was a big call and it couldn't have gone better, at least against Switzerland.

It's a call that Erik ten Hag has made at Manchester United this season, preferring to have more mobile players in his front four than an undoubted goal machine whose movement is no longer what it was.

It took until the round of 16 for Santos to make that move at the World Cup, with his convictions strengthened by his obvious unhappiness at Ronaldo's attitude after being substituted in the group game against South Korea.

The Portuguese soccer federation insisted Thursday that Ronaldo was dedicated to the team, saying he had built up a "unique track record every day" of service for his country and had an "unquestionable degree of commitment to the national team."

That won't necessarily guarantee him starts in the future. Against Switzerland, Ramos, who came in for Ronaldo, to the shock of many, and scored a hat trick on his debut, stretched the opposition defense more than Ronaldo typically does. It gave Felix, playing just behind Ramos, more space to work in and he produced one of his best performances for Portugal. It couldn't be further from the Felix that seems so constrained under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, working as hard on his defensive discipline and keeping team shape as what he offers in attack.

Santos went through the attributes of the three strikers in his squad - Ronaldo, Ramos and Andre Silva, and said that while Ronaldo is a player "who is more fixed and plays in a more determined area," Ramos is "more dynamic." (With PTI inputs)