Fernando Santos made a very difficult decision, he chose to start in a knockout match for the World Cup without Cristiano, taking group discipline as the first criterion and he was justified.

Ronaldo is not just a great footballer but a legend for the Portuguese

His decision was difficult, not so much because he knew that playing without Ronaldo on the field would be a problem for Portugal, but because of the strain and pressure Santos was taking on himself. You see, Cristiano Ronaldo is not just a soccer player, but (perhaps along with Eusebio) the best his country has ever produced.

That’s a giant who needs to dominate anything for the legend he’s creating, let alone his last appearance at a World Cup. If you’re not satisfied with being a great player but your name will go down in the legends of the sport, that also plays into the taste you’ll leave from attending the World Cups.

It’s easy to say that this discussion is about Cristiano Ronaldo, not so much about the Portuguese national team. Personally, I’m not so sure. The legacy these great players leave behind is that they are proud of the country they were born in, the country that created them and the country they grew up with.

Santos put enormous pressure on himself

Based on the result, Santos is absolutely confirmed. Removing Ronaldo from the team, the Portuguese got rid of a 37-year-old forward hungry to be seen but the years have passed and it’s not easy for him to go to the final while in need To write a great personal moment he wastes almost all sentence phases.

But imagine what would happen if things turned out differently. How much risk did Santos take? What pressure has this accomplished coach put on himself at 68? Imagine what would happen if Portugal didn’t make it. If he stayed out of the competition without having Ronaldo and Cancelo on the field.

Anyone wanted to see Portugal eliminated without Ronaldo?

I really ask, who would want to see this scenario? Who is so great that they can manipulate history so much and have the right to fail? The answer is obviously everyone. Santos stuck his head in the Dorva. But his choice was justified.

It is a reality that Ronaldo is approaching his 38 years and is not the same anymore. He doesn’t have that exuberance, it’s not easy for him to get rid of his personal rival, but his selfishness and the will to personal distinction remain enormous.

Portugal is brimming with individual talent, with fresh players coming from multiple areas who can take more initiative without him on the pitch. However, there is no coach with intact brakes to come out and football-wise explain how Portugal can play better without Cristiano.

No one can take such a big risk, no one has the right to fail without Ronaldo. So it seems an obligation for those who want to take on this job and lead Portugal to Cristiano’s last World Cup, do it with him. Of course he has to find a way as Ronaldo isn’t at his best, but the rest of the squad is really incredibly complete and full of youth, quality and talent.

But one could certainly say that the lyrics play blows against each other. But that’s also the decision Santos has to make. The dilemma is huge and it wasn’t over just because he bet 6 in Switzerland. Be continued.

The group unites, Ronaldo approaches

By the end of the game against Switzerland he is stronger and the group Cristiano pulls out of the game more united than ever. However, it is a reality that we have a mission where Cristiano is present, he wants more than anything to finish his career after winning the World Cup, but now he looks like a foreign body.

Perhaps the rest of the team needed to show their strength against Ronaldo himself. You see, since the beginning of this competition, everything has revolved around the Portuguese’s career. First the interview he gave and what he said about United and his manager, then his departure and the search for a team, even his anger at being substituted with South Korea in a tournament that was obviously struggling to break free and to end a phase .

Santos chose to do what he would do with any player in any situation. Except that Ronaldo is not just any footballer.

The decision was justified, but it also created a dilemma that didn’t exist

His decision was confirmed but the dilemma remains for him, it’s huge and now there’s no way. Now a dilemma has arisen that didn’t exist as it was clear until the game against Switzerland that Santos should go with Ronaldo. Now it’s not that easy, Kwhen the team presented themselves without Cristiano and showed what they can do.

So the question is what will Santos do from now on, how will he manage the tournament. Will he continue with Cristiano as a back-up off the bench or replace the footballer who scored a hat-trick and gave him an assist?

For Santos there is only one way, and that is success

So he has reached a point where there is only one way left for him, and that is success. Because football is a sport where no matter what you do, your decisions are right when you win. And here we are not in a reality where there is permanence, so the manager should think about his plan, what he thinks will pay off in the long run and go with it.

Here we have individual games, depending on the situation, the footballers find themselves in 90 or 120 minutes, even in penalties. We’re talking about World Cups, games that hide a historicity that carry a legend that doesn’t fade with time but grows stronger.

The chapter of Ronaldo’s last World Cup participation is not yet closed

Santos made a very difficult decision that only a coach with courage, personality and confidence and a lack of risk awareness could make. He was justified, won the rest of the team and brought Ronaldo that little bit closer to ‘I’.

However, it also creates a dilemma for the next day. How do you take Ramos out of the line-up to make Cristiano the main player again, but also how do you decide to win the World Cup without Cristiano, without the legend of the Portuguese national team.

It is possible that finding a golden ratio is now easier, what is certain is that Santos made a historic decision that validated him, but the story remains open.

The chapter of Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup is also not closed and we will see if the end can be written by him or if Fernando Santos will close it himself and give him a very small honorable role.