According to a poll conducted by the Portuguese media, most Portugal supporters do not want Cristiano Ronaldo to start for Fernando Santos’ team against Morocco.
Ronaldo was benched during Portugal’s rout of Switzerland in the round of 16 and was replaced by 21-year-old attacker Goncalo Ramos, who scored a hat-trick in his maiden World Cup start.
According to reports on Thursday, an angry Ronaldo vowed to leave his country after being dropped from the starting lineup but was eventually talked out of taking such a drastic action. The Portuguese FA disputes the assertion.
A staggering 93.6% of Portugal fans do not want Cristiano Ronaldo back in the starting line-up
A survey found that the vast majority of fans want Goncalo Ramos to lead the line on Saturday
Prior to the match, manager Santos acknowledged he was upset with Ronaldo for pouting after being replaced during Portugal’s group stage loss to South Korea last week.
It is understandable that Ramos’ hat-trick has raised questions about whether the veteran will remain in the starting lineup for the rest of the competition.
The Portuguese newspaper A Bola conducted a poll of the nation’s supporters and discovered that an astounding 93.6% of them want Ramos to start in goal against Morocco.
The poll, which only asked for a yes or no response, does not augur well for the formerly legendary Manchester United player.
