This is some World Cup Cristiano Ronaldo is having and it’s not over yet

12/07/2022

This must be the way forward from here. You would think so, at least, even though when Santos was asked about the prospect of Ronaldo winning his place back, he was predictably non-committal. “All the players who are with me can be used and if they are not in the starting 11 they can play later,” he said.

But this is the man who has known Ronaldo longer than any other prominent figure still working in football, who helped bring him up through Sporting Clube de Portugal’s youth system, and who at full time still felt able to describe their relationship as “very close”. Santos vowed that emotion has not and will not play a part in his decisions. “Ronaldo and I never misinterpret the human and personal aspect with that of manager and player,” he said. And yet, there was also an olive branch.

Santos may have made his displeasure with Ronaldo’s tantrum against South Korea public but that is now water under the bridge. “This is something that is finished and solved,” he insisted. “It is also important to look at the example of this player’s history. He is one of the best players in the world and therefore all we have to do is come in collectively.” It would seem that even from here, there is a potential route back into the starting line-up.

On a night rich with symbolism and significance, where the storylines effectively wrote themselves, the one quirk was Ronaldo’s reaction to each of goals – especially the five that were scored while he was still on the substitutes bench. Rather than looking on sullen and stony-faced, Ronaldo smiled, applauded and even celebrated some of the six strikes. He played the role of the perfect teammate, showing none of the petulance that many might have expected. It was the one aspect of the evening that did not entirely fit the pre-packed narrative.

And if that felt out of character, then the best explanation as to why he was acting this way is probably the simplest one. Ronaldo is smart. His pride may be great, so too his sense of self-esteem, but both are big enough to take a hit in service of something even greater. He will be perfectly aware that he is now two games away from a World Cup final. Blowing up his United career cost him the chance to appear in the Europa League playoff round. Doing the same at international level would deprive him of playing at the pinnacle of the sport.

And so he was clapping, he was cheerleading, he was practically sprinting through the post-match mixed zone, refusing to the opportunity to strike back at those responsible for one of the greatest indignities of his international career. If he has to do all of that to have a chance of playing on the stage where he believes he still belongs, in a game that he believes he is destined to play in, then so be it. Your first instinct when the team sheets were published at the Lusail on Tuesday night was to write his career’s obituary. That urge only grew stronger as events unfolded and the night went on. But this is some World Cup that Ronaldo is having and it isn’t over yet.

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