What happened to last Portugal coach to drop Cristiano Ronaldo as pair stopped talking

Fernando Santos previously revealed that he hadn't been in conversation with Cristiano Ronaldo since dropping him during the 2022 World Cup.

Santos was manager of Portugal from 2014 until 2022, and a close ally of Ronaldo. However, he made the difficult decision to bench the former Manchester United man during Portugal's last-16 match against Switzerland at the World Cup two years ago.

It was a move which turned out fruitful as Portugal won 6-1, with his replacement Goncalo Ramos bagging a hat-trick. Subsequently, Ronaldo remained on the sidelines during their quarter-final match against Morocco, leading to a disappointing 1-0 defeat for Portugal. This happened to be the final game for Santos before he was let go, reports the Mirror.

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Despite shared triumphs including a glorious victory in Euro 2016, Santos and Ronaldo's relationship took a sharp downturn. Santos shed some light on the deterioration of their once tight-knit bond in an interview.

Speaking to Portuguese newspaper A Bola in 2023, Santos said: "That's another thing... we don't talk anymore... I don't know what it was... We haven't talked since I came (home) from Qatar."

He added: "The expression is a little strong, but almost like father and son, or younger brother and older brother. We had a very close, very strong relationship, both professional and personal."

It is unclear whether the pair have spoken sonce. After Santos' dismissal in 2023, Roberto Martinez, formerly of Everton and Wigan, assumed his position and has successfully led Portugal to the