World Cup 2022: Luis Figo Aims Jibe at Portugal Coach After Shock Exit

• Fernando Santos benching Cristiano Ronaldo had ramifications on Portugal's World Cup
• The Selecao suffered World Cup quarter-final elimination at the hands of wild card Morocco
• The Portugal boss opted to start Goncalo Ramos, who scored a hat-trick in the round of 16

Luis Figo has faulted Portugal manager Fernando Santos for their World Cup exit.

Santos received widespread praise for his bold decision to bench embattled poster boy Cristiano Ronaldo, which yielded a positive result as Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 in their last-16 tie.

He adopted a similar approach by maintaining the same line-up in their quarter-final clash with Morocco, but the tactic failed spectacularly as the Selecao exited the tournament.

Since Portugal's shock exit, Fernando Santos has insisted Ronaldo would not have changed the destiny of the game even if he had started, the Sun reports.

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But legendary Portuguese midfielder, Luis Figo disagrees with Santos, arguing that the decision to bench Ronaldo cost the European giants a spot in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar.

“You can’t win the World Cup with Cristiano on the bench. Leaving Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench was a mistake. This defeat is the responsibility of Fernando Santos,” Figo said via Football Espana.

Portugal's quarter-final exit means the former Manchester United star's dream of adding the World Cup to his trophy cabinet is all but over, as he will be 41 the next time the quadrennial tournament comes around in 2026.

Portugal exits the World Cup

Morocco became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals, as Youssef En-Nesyri's first-half goal sealed a tense 1-0 victory over Portugal at the Al Thumama Stadium.

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The Atlas Lions added Portugal to their list of European scalps, with a resolute second-half performance.

Ronaldo has likely played his last World Cup match, after making an ineffectual appearance as a second-half substitute and failing to score his first knockout-phase goal of the tournament.

Santos makes stunning Ronaldo admission

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Portugal boss Santos made a stunning admission after he dropped Ronaldo during their World Cup defeat against Morocco.

The veteran striker started from the bench, as the Europeans battled the North Africans in an epic quarter-final clash on December 10.

The decision by Santos to drop Ronaldo from the starting XI was the major talking point after Portugal were knocked out of the tournament.