Logically speaking, Fernando Santos has absolutely no choice.
In the group stage of the World Cup, his Portuguese team looked hesitant, tired and a bit disjointed. In the Round of 16, it all came together. Against Switzerland, Portugal was fluent, creative and devastating.
The difference, of course, was that Santos did the unthinkable: he landed Cristiano Ronaldo – the most celebrated player in his country’s history, who was playing in his farewell tournament – to the bench ranks. Ronaldo didn’t take the news without a shrug: After being called into Santos’ office, Ronaldo asked his manager if he was sure it was the right move. “Do you really think this is a good idea?” Ronaldo said in Santos’ narration. The trainer did not specify whether the focus was on “really” or “the good”.
As it turns out, of course, it was a good idea. Very good idea. Portugal beat Switzerland 6-1. Direct replacement for Ronaldo, undisclosed Gonzalo Ramos, scored a hat-trick, as if to confirm the point. It wasn’t just that Portugal looked free without Ronaldo. It was that the team, finally, made sense without him.
With Portugal heading into the quarter-finals against Morocco on Saturday, it’s hard to imagine Santos going back on his decision and bringing Ronaldo back into the team. He made the biggest call he could make, after all; He’s already taken risks, riding slingers and darts of cash, and bet he can keep the 37-year-old’s faith in Ronaldo even if he feels his ego has been pricked. Why take those more painful breaks to track your steps after just a few days?
Despite this, this interpretation not only underestimates the extent of Ronaldo’s influence on this Portuguese team – a large portion of them are small enough to consider him less of a peer and more of a hero – but more importantly, the prestige he has in Portugal.
Opinion polls in Portugal over the past few days have indicated that Santos has popular support, and that there is no deafening clamor for Ronaldo’s reinstatement. But he is a national icon, and almost certainly the most famous person in the nation’s history, well before Vasco da Gama and Nelly Furtado.
Dropping it is, of course, quite a gamble. If Portugal reaches the quarter-finals, the pressure to include him will increase. Before the round of 16, Santos made the biggest call of his career. He may as of now have three larger range calls waiting for him.
