“We haven’t talked to each other since the tournament in Qatar. In the morning of the match, when I went to explain the reason why Ronaldo would not be able to play, he misunderstood.
As for me, I still watch and treat Ronaldo like a son. The day the phone rang, he knew I was always here. Ronaldo is the best player in the world. But he had a very difficult time in his career. In the second half of 2022, Ronaldo had a really bad 6 months.
That period really affected Ronaldo. He has no rhythm. It’s a matter of tactics,” Santos told A Bola newspaper.
At the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo started 3 matches in the group stage before only being able to play as a substitute from the 1/8 round. However, Portugal could not advance deeply when they lost 0-1 to Morocco in the quarterfinals. The image of CR7 crying in the tunnel still haunts many fans to this day.
Santos then resigned as head coach of the Portuguese national team. In January 2023, he led the Polish team but was quickly fired after only 6 matches in charge . Currently, the 69-year-old strategist still does not have a new job.
As for the Portuguese team, they are being led by coach Roberto Martinez and Ronaldo is playing extremely well under the former captain of the Belgian team. CR7 currently scored 9 goals in 7 appearances for Seleccao in the EURO 2024 qualifiers, becoming an important pillar of the team.
