Cesc Fabregas Defends Fernando Santos’ Decision to Bench Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup

There was a big shock for Cristiano Ronaldo‘s fans last year. The Portuguese captain was not included in the national team’s starting eleven in the 2022 World Cup game against Switzerland. But surprisingly, former World Cup winner with Spain, Cesc Fabregas, came out to support the coach, Fernando Santos, who made such a bold and controversial decision.

Ronaldo’s tournament had not been up to par at that point, and Santos did not hesitate to replace him with Goncalo Ramos in the round of 16. The 22-year-old PSG player immediately made an impact, scoring a hat trick. Hence, Fabregas called it a fair decision to bench Portugal’s all-time highest goal scorer.

Cesc Fabregas’ astonishing statement about Fernando Santos benching Cristiano Ronaldo

Fabregas who won the 2010 World Cup could anger Cristiano Ronaldo’s fans with his fearless claim. Speaking on the brand-new Netflix documentary, ‘Captains of the World’, the former Barcelona star said, “His replacement scored three goals, and that proves the coach was right to take that decision.”

Fans had a lot of expectations of the Navigators, which they weren’t able to meet by losing the quarterfinals. The surprising defeat against Morrocco resulted in heavy criticism of Santos for losing out on another chance to win the World Cup. Ronaldo was brought in as a substitute in both the knockout games of the tournament but was not able to score a goal.

Ronaldo scored his only goal against Ghana in Portugal’s cup opener with a penalty. The captain subsequently went blank against Uruguay and South Korea. Nevertheless, the effort from Bruno Fernandez, with both goals and assists, took them over the line to the knockouts. However, the relationship between the manager and the coach became strained from then on.

Fernando Santos called the decision to drop Ronaldo a difficult one

Working together for eight years with the national team, there was never a moment when Santos did not start Ronaldo in the eleven. But during the World Cup, the former coach justified his decision, saying that Ronaldo was not at all in rhythm during that period. Santos claimed that Ronaldo missed the pre-season and also did not train for a couple of months, which affected his performance.

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The coach was sacked after the World Cup and was replaced by former Belgium coach Roberto Martinez. In the end, after the tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo has not spoken to him, claims Santos.

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