Fans comment 'who needs Ronaldo' as Portugal impress with him on the bench

Social media users have asked 'who needs Cristiano Ronaldo' after the forward was dropped for Portugal's 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland in the last 16 of the World Cup.

The former Manchester United star was left out of the starting XI by Fernando Santos, who was angry with the free agent's reaction to being subbed in the defeat to South Korea.

Portugal without Ronaldo were 5-1 ahead when he was introduced as a 74th-minute substitute.

Goncalo Ramos - the man who replaced Ronaldo in the starting line-up - scored a hat-trick in his first start in Qatar, while there were also goals for Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leao.

A large number of fans on Twitter suggested that Portugal didn't need Ronaldo due to their impressive display.

ConnCFC tweeted: 'Who needs Ronaldo. Certainly not Man United or Portugal anyways.'

Another Twitter user said: 'Man U play better without Ronaldo. Portugal play better without Ronaldo. Who needs Ronaldo??'

Popular YouTuber-turned-boxer and musician KSI wrote: 'I'm gonna say it, Ronaldo holds teams back,' alongside a photo of someone trying to extinguish a fire.'

One Twitter user referenced Portugal's recent friendly against Nigeria - where they won 4-0 without Ronaldo, as they wrote: 'Anyone who watched Nigeria vs Portugal knows this Portuguese team plays beautifully without Ronaldo.'

Other people commented that Portugal could be contenders to win the whole competition, if they continue to leave Ronaldo on the bench.

@LFCjus_ wrote: 'Portugal are real contenders for winning the tournament... as long as Ronaldo isn't starting.'

While @CFCfahim said: ' If Santos is serious about Portugal winning, he'll continue benching Ronaldo.'

Portugal were running away with a 5-1 lead when Ronaldo was brought onto the pitch as a 73rd minute substitution for Joao Felix.

Ronaldo's name was read out to big cheers from the Portuguese fans - showing that they have not lost their faith in the 37-year-old.

They had previously cheered when his face was displayed on the big screen pre-match and had called for him to be introduced by chanting his name before he came on.

He even put the ball in the back of the net, though he had mis-timed his run and was ruled offside.

Portugal went on to add a sixth goal to book a quarter-final spot against Morocco.