Portugal star reveals how Cristiano Ronaldo reacted to being dropped at the World Cup

20.02.2023 - 15:05 manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Portugal midfielder William Carvalho has insisted former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo 'was always with the team' despite being benched at the World Cup.

Ronaldo started all three of Portugal's group games in Qatar but found the net just once from the penalty spot in their 3-2 win over Ghana.

Despite finishing top of Group H, Ronaldo was dropped in place of young Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos for the knockout stages, a decision which ultimately paid off as he netted a hat-trick in a 5-1 demolition of Switzerland.

Portugal were then knocked out by Morocco in the quarter-finals but Ronaldo's diminished role at international level almost mirrored that of his final few months at United, which then led to his departure.

Benfica cup Cristiano Ronaldo William Carvalho Piers Morgan Manchester Qatar Switzerland Portugal India Morocco Ghana Saudi Arabia county Morgan

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Cristiano Ronaldo has been making headlines since his high-profile move to Saudi Arabia club Al-Nassr and the Portuguese superstar won a lot of hearts recently by meeting a 10-year-old boy who lost his father in the earthquakes that rocked Syria and Turkey. In a video making the rounds on social media, Ronaldo was caught hugging the boy and speaking to him during a meeting arranged by the club. The video was shared by Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Saudi Board of Directors of General Entertainment Authority. The boy, who was identified as Nabil Saeed from Syria, was also invited to see Al-Nassr play at their home ground and he is a massive fan of Cristiano Ronaldo.

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