Luis Figo blames Portugal coach for World Cup exit and Ronaldo decision

With several giants falling at the quarter final stages of the World Cup, England, the Netherlands, Brazil and Portugal, the inquests, enquiries and criticism is flowing freely. In most cases, the nation will engage in debate to work out exactly how they feel about their respective defeats. One of the the Portuguese icons, and no doubt an agenda-setter, Luis Figo has laid the blame at the door of their coach.

Fernando Santos made the brave call to drop Cristiano Ronaldo once Portugal were through to the knockout stages, opting instead for Goncalo Ramos. Initially, it brought an exceptional reaction, as Portugal beat Switzerland 6-1, before losing to Morocco. Mixed into the issue were various reports of indiscipline on Ronaldo’s part, which might have contributed.

Sport carried Figo’s remarks, which left no room for interpretation.

“You can’t win the World Cup with Cristiano on the bench. Leaving Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench was a mistake. This defeat is the responsibility of Fernando Santos.”

The former Real Madrid legend is often outspoken and while it Ronaldo is likely Portugal’s greatest ever player, this was the case again. The general feeling was that Ronaldo was not the best option from the start and multiple polls in Portugal showed that Ronaldo’s stint on the bench was welcomed by most.