FIFA World Cup 2022: Cristiano Ronaldo May Not Lead Portugal Against Switzerland Tuesday After Loss To South Korea

Football star Cristiano Ronaldo may have landed himself in trouble with Portugal manager Fernando Santos during the FIFA World Cup 2022, and he could lose the country's captaincy.

It comes following his substitution in the recent loss to South Korea. Although reports have claimed that Ronaldo is about to sign a new deal, he will be out of work once Portugal is knocked out of the tournament in Qatar, reported Sport Bible. It all started after a falling out with manager Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. That led to the football star doing his now infamous interview, which ended with his contract getting terminated. The five time Ballon d'Or winner wanted to leave Old Trafford last summer. But the falling out started when he refused to come on as a sub in the game between Man Utd and Tottenham Hotspur.

Now, the 37-year-old seems to have annoyed yet another manager over his reaction to a substitution during a game. He looked visibly frustrated when he was replaced in the 65th minute of the 2-1 defeat to South Korea. Cameras caught him appearing to say, "He's in a rush to sub me." At the time, Ronaldo was involved in a verbal altercation with South Korea player Cho Gue-sung as he left the field. It was only after the game that Santos realized how Ronaldo had reacted to his substitution, reported ESPN.

Santos said during a press conference, "Have I seen the images? Yes, I didn’t like it, not at all." "But from that moment onwards everything is finished regarding that issue," he added. He shared that such matters are resolved behind closed doors, and that it's been resolved.

Santos had claimed that the all-time top scorer in men's international football isn't guaranteed to lead the team as a captain in the last 16 game against Switzerland Tuesday. He also refused to confirm that Ronaldo would wear the armband. He even hinted that Ronaldo may not start the match. The manager said that he only decides who is going to be captain when he reaches the stadium. He shared that he didn’t know what the line-up would be.