Portugal national team coach Fernando Santos confessed that he was uncomfortable with Cristiano Ronaldo's behavior when he was substituted in a match against Korea.



According to AFP, the Associated Press, Santos said during a press conference in Doha, Qatar on the 5th (local time) that he "really did not like" when asked about Ronaldo's behavior at the time.



Ronaldo, who started in the 3rd Group H match between Portugal and Korea in the Qatar World Cup group stage on the 3rd, was replaced by Andre Silva in the 21st minute of the second half without much success.



In the 27th minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in's corner kick hit Ronaldo's back and fell in front of Kim Young-kwon, leading to an equalizer that balanced the score 1:1.



However, while he was leaving the field, he suddenly showed a way of not being able to control his emotions, such as making a gesture to be quiet by placing a finger on his lips.



Portuguese media at the time assumed that Ronaldo was dissatisfied with coach Santos, but Ronaldo explained that it was an action against Cho Kyu-sung, who had an argument.



Regarding this situation, Ronaldo said, "When I was replaced, the Korean player told me to leave quickly, so I told him to be quiet."



In fact, Cho Kyu-sung also said that he had an argument with Ronaldo.



Santos said in a post-game interview, "Ronaldo seemed to be in a bad mood with the Korean player," and "It seemed that he was in a bad mood because the Korean player made a 'go' gesture."



He continued, "I think the Korean player spoke in English, but he didn't seem to be saying anything offensive."



However, on the 5th, when he was asked again about this situation, he revealed his true intentions.



Santos said, "My answer is divided into two parts. The first answer is not different from what I said at the press conference at the time," he said. "There was nothing special on the ground."



"But the second answer was that I didn't like the scene. I didn't like it at all," he added.



Portugal will play Switzerland in the round of 16 at 4:00 am on the 7th.



Public opinion in the country is not good for Ronaldo, who has not shown impressive performance.



Portuguese sports media 'Avola' said on the 4th that 70% of subscribers answered 'no' to the question 'Do you think Ronaldo should continue to play as a starter?



(Photo = Yonhap News)