Cristiano Ronaldo’s partner Georgina Rodriguez has hit out at Portugal coach Fernando Santos for benching the A Selecao captain against Morocco.
Ronaldo, 37, started back-to-back matches on the bench and couldn’t change his side’s fortunes after coming on in the 51st minute when Portugal were 1-0 down.
However, while Morocco made history and become the first ever African nation to reach the semi-finals at the World Cup, Ronaldo and Portugal’s tournament ended in tears.
After the final whistle, Rodriguez took to social media to criticise Santos for his decision to again bench Ronaldo.
“Today your friend and coach made the wrong decision,” she wrote on Instagram, as translated into English by talkSPORT.
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“That friend for whom you have so many words of admiration and respect.
“The same one who, when putting you on the field, saw how everything changed, but it was too late.
“You can’t underestimate the best player in the world, its most powerful weapon. Much less should one stand up for those who don’t deserve it.
“Life gives us lessons. Today we don’t lose, we learn. We admire you.”
Meanwhile, Santos didn’t want to make an immediate decision on his future after the match.
“I reiterate what I said before the competition, I have a discussion with the president and when we go back to Portugal we will deal with the issue of my contract,” he said, as per ESPN.
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