- Portugal boss Fernando Santos has hit out at Cristiano Ronaldo.
- The forward appeared to react angrily to being substituted in Portugal's most recent World Cup match.
Portugal boss Fernando Santos has hit out at Cristiano Ronaldo after the forward appeared to react angrily to being substituted during Portugal's most recent match at the World Cup in Qatar.
Ronaldo was taken off by Santos 65 minutes into Portugal's shock 2-1 defeat to South Korea in its final Group H game on Friday.
As he left the field, the 37-year-old put an index finger to his lips, a gesture he later said was made to an opposition player and not to Santos.
Asked about the incident at a press conference on Tuesday, Santos said: "Have I seen the images? Yes, I didn't like it, not at all. I didn't like it. I really didn't like it."
But he said that the matter had been resolved behind closed doors.
"Full stop on this matter and now everyone is focused on tomorrow's match," he said.
Santos' criticism of Ronaldo comes after the soccer star had his Manchester United contract terminated by mutual consent in late November.
Ronaldo was let go by United after he attacked the club, its manager Erik ten Hag, and its owners in a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo told Morgan that he didn't "have respect" for Ten Hag and accused United of showing a lack of "empathy" when his young daughter was hospitalized in July.
According to MARCA, Ronaldo is now close to agreeing a deal to join Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
The Spanish newspaper reported last week that Al Nassr has offered the Portugal international a two-and-a-half year contract worth $207 million per year – a salary that would see him become the highest paid sportsperson in the world.