Stuart Pearce believes that Cristiano Ronaldo has “absolutely no chance” of starting Portugal’s upcoming World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco.
Fernando Santos, the manager of Portugal, made the divisive decision to omit Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting lineup against Switzerland on Tuesday night.
Santos took a risk by starting Goncalo Ramos in place of Ronaldo, and it paid off when the Benfica player scored an incredible hat-trick.
Ramos, who also contributed an assist, became the first player since Miroslav Klose to score a hat trick in his first World Cup start as Portugal ran riot that evening.
Portugal defeated Switzerland 6-1 in their round of 16 match at the Lusail Stadium, with Ronaldo coming off the bench to replace Joao Felix.
Georgina Rodriguez, Ronaldo’s stunning partner, broke her social media silence after the 37-year-old Portugal captain was benched for the Switzerland game.
However, Pearce, a former manager of Team GB and England Under-21s, thinks it would be “absolute folly” for Santos to bench Ramos following his sensational hat-trick.
The 60-year-old former England defender predicted that Ronaldo might sit out Portugal’s quarterfinal matchup on December 10.
“Santos has got absolutely no chance of bringing Ronaldo back. Ramos has just scored a hat-trick, it would be absolute folly to not play him,” Pearce told talkSPORT.
“The only bigger stage is the next round for him. I think he’s a definite starter. You can’t leave him out after that. They look a better side.”
After his team’s 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland in the round of 16, Portugal coach Santos remained coy about whether Ronaldo would start against Morocco.
When asked if Ronaldo would play against Morocco, Santos said: “Ronaldo will definitely [be involved], and all the players on the bench can be used, even if they are not in the starting lineup.
“It is important to look at the example of this player’s history, he is one of the best players in the world at playing professionally, being captain — all we have to do is think about this team collectively.”
Santos continued that Ronaldo’s role is still “to be defined,” but he insisted that he is still a “important player to have in the team.” Ronaldo previously played for Manchester United and Real Madrid.
