‘Who needs Ronaldo?’: Brilliant Replacement Ramos Scores Hat-Trick For A Selecao To Set Up Quarter-Final Match Against Morocco

Jimmy Henton

 

Fernando Santos claimed he didn't enjoy Ronaldo's reaction to being subbed in the defeat to South Korea, as a result, the No.7 player was dropped to the bench and his replacement Goncalo Ramos stole the frontlines.

Who needs Ronaldo?Source: talksport

The 21-year-old had a hat trick on his first start at this World Cup tournament to help the Selecao advance to the next round. Meanwhile, Ronaldo was introduced as a 75th-minute substitute when his home team was leading 5-1 ahead.
Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro, and Rafael Leao also contributed goals to the win, sending Switzerland home in the last 16 for the third tournament in a row. Portugal will take on Marocco, who had a shock win against Spain, in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
On social media, users from different platforms have asked 'Who needs Ronaldo' after the striker was on the bench for Portugal's thrashing of Switzerland in the last 16 of the World Cup.

A massive number of fans on Twitter suggested that Portugal didn't need Ronaldo because of their impressive performance.

Who needs Ronaldo?Source: skysports

ConnCFC tweeted: 'Who needs Ronaldo? Certainly not Man United or Portugal anyways.'
Another Twitter user said: 'Man U play better without Ronaldo. Portugal plays 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.'
Others said Portugal could be contenders to win the whole competition but only if they keep leaving 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.'

Who needs Ronaldo?Source: indiatoday

Portugal seem to get ready in cruise control as Ronaldo was brought onto the pitch as a replacement for Joao Felix.
Still, Ronaldo's name was called 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 as Ronaldo came to the field and had called for him to be introduced by chanting his name before his appearance.
He even put the ball in the back of the net, though, he had mistimed his run and was ruled outside. We can see the goal was disallowed for offside, much to the irritation of the supporters - Portuguese or from other countries - who had come to see him play.