DOHA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Portugal manager Fernando Santos has called for an end to criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo and denied reports that the forward had asked to leave the World Cup in Qatar.
Portuguese media claimed that Ronaldo sought to abandon the tournament after he was dropped to the bench for Monday's round-of-16 clash against Switzerland, which Portugal won 6-1.
"I think it's high time to leave Ronaldo alone," Santos told a news conference ahead of Portugal's quarterfinal against Morocco on Saturday.
"He never told me he wanted to leave. It's time to stop with this. He left the dressing room against Switzerland, warmed up, went out for a run to celebrate the goals with his teammates."
Ronaldo converted a penalty in Portugal's opening World Cup Group H match against Ghana but struggled in the next two games against Uruguay and South Korea.
The 37-year-old was heard shouting obscenities toward the Portugal bench as he was replaced by Andre Silva in the 65th minute against South Korea.
Santos later admitted that he was unhappy with Ronaldo's reaction to the substitution but denied there was any lingering tension with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
"I had a conversation with Cristiano Ronaldo. We talked about the Portuguese team but the only conversation I had was before the match against Switzerland to tell him why he was going to be a substitute," he said.
"I told him that he was not going to start in the Round of 16. He was not happy with the conversation, as is normal. But it was a normal conversation where everyone showed their point of view.
"When a player is captain of Portugal and starts on the bench, it's normal for him not to be happy. When I told him that I wasn't going to play as a starter, he asked me if it was a good idea. Of course he wasn't happy. But I assure you that he never wanted to leave." ■
