World Cup in Qatar
Ronaldo again sits on the bench and gives the suffering heroes
Even as a substitute, Ronaldo remains the most popular subject for photographers
© Alessandra Tarantino/DPA
Cristiano Ronaldo has lost his place in Portugal’s national team. In the quarterfinals against Morocco he is back on the bench. And shows the world that he suffers greatly from his situation.
The images are the same: Ronaldo sits on the bench with the other substitutes from the Portugal national team before the game against Morocco – and all that most photographers from the photographer crowd are interested in are pictures of Ronaldo. It was like that before the game against Switzerland in the round of 16. Again wearing the bronze reserve jersey, Ronaldo looks damn serious until he sits down.
Ronaldo is sending the following message to the world: being on the bench is a martyrdom, but he accepts it because he puts himself at the service of the team. After the game has kicked off, Ronaldo’s facial expressions alternate between childish sulks and suffering heroes. Ronaldo is and will always be a drama queen.
Again Ramos plays for Ronaldo
National coach Fernando Santos had once again banned the superstar from the starting XI. As in the 6-1 win against Switzerland, Benfica’s Gonçalo Ramos started in the center of attack again. Ramos had scored a hat-trick in his World Cup debut.
Before the quarterfinals against the North Africans, Santos emphasized that he was ignoring the debates about Ronaldo’s reserve role. “The emotional side doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter whether I spoke to him before the game,” said the 68-year-old, referring to the fuss surrounding the captain, who is accompanying Portugal’s national team during this World Cup.
With DPA