Cristiano goes without playing... 6,678 days later!
No minutes against Norway despite being available, something that had not happened in an official match since 2008
The standout image of the matchday in this phase of the Nations League was starring Cristiano Ronaldo, on the bench for the entire match, despite not being injured, in Portugal's victory over Norway.
So historic was it that you have to go back two years to see his last time on the bench, in a friendly against Croatia in June 2024... and more than 18 for the last real one, an official match, with points or qualification at stake, and it was on June 15, 2008, in the group stage of the European Championship when Portugal had already qualified and lost against Switzerland.
It was not to protect him physically, because he was in condition to play for as long as I wanted
The fact is that today he was on the bench, constantly focused on by the cameras and he even went out to warm up along the touchline in the final stretch of the match, something also unusual, especially considering he was not used in the end of the match.
"We had even agreed with him that he would come on in the last half hour, but the match did not require it. Gonçalo Ramos was playing well, he had scored a goal, another had been disallowed, I felt that it was not the right time to substitute him," explained the new Portuguese coach, Jorge Jesus, who started him against Wales and ruled out that he was injured. "It was not to protect him physically, because he was in condition to play for as long as I wanted him to".
'"The match ran its course and it stopped being the right moment for Cris to come on; instead, another player was needed to guarantee balance and the result," said Portugal's new coach, who indicates that he could use him again against Denmark in the next match.'
"It was a decision. I didn't think it was the ideal moment, I needed a player with different characteristics, but that doesn't mean he's ruled out, quite the opposite. Perhaps now, against Denmark, he'll play ," he added, denying that Gonçalo Ramos, scorer of the second goal, had been given more playing time.
Cristiano, who still has the competitive gene just as he did when he was 18, was serious on the bench and headed to the dressing room when the referee blew the final whistle, without joining his teammates in applauding on the pitch the fans who had supported the team.
