According to a former Portugal international, there is a “malaise” between Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Santos coming out of the World Cup in Qatar.
Ronaldo has had a lot to deal with over the past few months. He endured a fall from grace at Manchester United as he was in and out of the team under Erik ten Hag.
This came as he made life difficult for United’s new head coach as he refused to come on as a substitute on multiple occasions.
The final straw came when an interview aired which saw Ronaldo say that he did not respect Ten Hag. He also hit out at the Glazer family and several of his former teammates.
This situation ended with Ronaldo having his contract mutually terminated in the days leading up to the World Cup.
Ronaldo did not fare too much better at the World Cup as he struggled to make an impact for Portugal. His only goal came via a penalty.
The 37-year-old was dropped after he clashed with Santos after being brought off during Portugal’s group stage loss against South Korea.
He then started Portugal’s next two games on the bench. They lost 1-0 to Morocco in the quarter-finals of the World Cup last week.
Santos helped Portugal win the European Championships in 2018 but he is now under pressure following his side’s premature exit in Qatar.
Former Portugal international Maniche thinks ex-Chelsea, Man Utd and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho should replace Santos.
“Jose Mourinho is the coach who makes perfect sense for the position, for everything he has already achieved and has been achieving,” Maniche said to Radio Renascenca.
”He is an experienced coach who is very prepared for difficulties because he knows our football and football abroad, he is intelligent and knows how to deal with young people.
“He has already adapted to this generation and proved it by winning a title at Roma, which didn’t happen a few years ago.”
Mourinho has been the manager of AS Roma since last year and under him, they won the inaugural Europa Conference League in 2021/22.
Maniche has also suggested that the “malaise” between Ronaldo and Santos is clear so this issue needs to be resolved.
“There has to be a direct and frank conversation with both (Ronaldo & Santos),” Maniche added.
”It is not an easy decision for the president of the Federation, because he has the best Portuguese player of all time, and he has a coach with a contract, but we cannot escape the evidence of a malaise that exists between Fernando Santos and Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Recent reports have claimed that Ronaldo intends to carry on playing for Portugal ahead of the Euros in 2024.
