{"id":150230,"date":"2022-12-07T00:13:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T00:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ronaldo-can-help-portugal-unlike-at-man-utd\/"},"modified":"2022-12-07T00:13:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T00:13:00","slug":"ronaldo-can-help-portugal-unlike-at-man-utd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ronaldo-can-help-portugal-unlike-at-man-utd\/","title":{"rendered":"Ronaldo can help Portugal unlike at Man Utd"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LUSAIL, Qatar — Portugal manager Fernando Santos now has a level of control over Cristiano Ronaldo that Erik ten Hag created at Manchester United.<\/p>\n

We all know how that turned out — Ronaldo’s Old Trafford contract ripped up last month in an acrimonious exit — but Portugal showed on Tuesday night that a similar implosion is not inevitable for their captain in Qatar.<\/p>\n

Santos felt compelled to remind the 37-year-old that he is part of a team, no longer untouchable and immune from the disciplinary conventions that bind mere mortals. the petulance Ronaldo showed in reacting negatively to his substitution against South Korea was a reminder of the behavior that led to his departure from United; his devoted supporters viewing any diminishing status as disrespect, his critics fueled by evidence Ronaldo is incapable of controlling his rage at the inexorable dying of the light.<\/p>\n

Ronaldo’s awesome powers may be on the wane but make no mistake, leaving him on the bench against Switzerland was a massive call. This was the first time he did not start a game for Portugal at a major tournament since 2008, ending a 31-game streak. And so what followed was nothing short of remarkable: Ronaldo’s replacement, Goncalo Ramos, defied having just 33 minutes of international football to his name to net a hat-trick in a 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland in which Portugal looked far more fluid and dynamic than at any previous stage here in Qatar.<\/p>\n