Former Portugal coach Fernando Santos revealed for the first time the reason why Cristiano Ronaldo sat on the bench after the group stage in the 2022 World Cup.

Santos has just been appointed head coach by Turkish club Besiktas. During the new team’s launch ceremony, he was once again asked about pushing superstar Ronaldo to the bench at the 2022 World Cup – a tournament in which Portugal was eliminated after losing 0-1 to Morocco in the quarterfinals.

“Ronaldo played the first three matches. After that, we decided to leave him on the bench,” Santos explained. “It was completely a tactical decision and had collective meaning. The coaching staff and I thought it was the best thing for the team. The decision did not come from personal reasons. If we were not eliminated, Ronaldo would be completely satisfied.” We can all return to the main squad in the next matches.”

After unsuccessful results at the 2022 World Cup, Santos was fired by the Portuguese Football Federation. Previously, the 69-year-old military leader held this position for eight years and was said to have a good relationship with Ronaldo.

Santos helped Portugal win Euro 2016 – the only major title this team has ever won in history. He also led Portugal to the 2019 Nations League championship. Santos left as the coach who held the most matches and won the most matches in Portuguese history. In 109 matches under Santos, Portugal won 67, drew 23 and lost 19 matches.

After leaving Portugal, Santos accepted to lead Poland on January 23, 2023. But on September 13, the two sides went their separate ways after Poland lost 0-2 to Albania in the Euro 2024 qualifiers. At that time, Santos had only worked for six matches.

On January 8, Besiktas announced the appointment of Santos . The 69-year-old coach’s task is to rebuild the Turkish club, which is playing below expectations. He is the fourth coach signed by Besiktas this season after Senol Gunes, Burak Yilmaz and Riza Calimbay.