Ronaldo World Cup: Turkey Leader Reveals Why Portugal Star Was Dropped

• Cristiano Ronaldo's season took a turn for the worse when he was dropped to the bench in Portugal's crucial matches
• Portugal was eventually eliminated in the Last 8 at the World Cup in what was probably Ronaldo's last World Cup
• New interesting theories have continued to surround the decision by then-Head Coach Fernando Santos

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come up with an interesting theory on why Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped in Portugal's last matches at the World Cup in Qatar.

Ronaldo had an under-fire tournament in Qatar after he was dropped in the round of 16 clash against Switzerland and subsequent quarterfinals exit to Morocco.

It has been an underwhelming campaign for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner who is currently clubless. Before the World Cup, Manchester United terminated his contract after he conducted an incendiary interview with Piers Morgan.

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Is Ronaldo pro-Palestine?

Erdogan has now claimed that Ronaldo paid the full price of a political ban. As Al Jazeera reports, Erdogan said that Ronaldo supported the Palestinian cause and thus had to be dropped.

"They have wasted Ronaldo. Unfortunately, they have imposed a political ban on him. Sending a footballer like Ronaldo to the pitch with just 30 minutes remaining in the match ruined his psychology and took away his energy. Ronaldo is someone who stands for the Palestinian cause,"

However, despite Erdogan's assertions, Ronaldo has never publicly announced or shown his support for the Palestinian cause.

The Israeli-Palestine conflict has been in place since the 20th century with many mitigations to restore peace proving to be unsuccessful so far.

Fernando Santos' perspective

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The then head coach Fernando Santos is said to have been unhappy with Ronaldo's tantrums when he was substituted off against South Korea. He later admitted that his side had much balance without the accomplished striker in the team.

Santos has since been sacked.

The World Cup was won by Ronaldo's arch-rival Lionel Messi who inspired Argentina to a final win over France on December 18th

Ronaldo scheduled for Al Nassr medical

Sports Brief has also reported that Ronaldo is edging closer to completing his move to Saudi Arabia as Al-Nassr is said to have scheduled a medical for the 37-year-old Portugal star.

Al-Nassr have scheduled a medical, plus booked accommodation for Ronaldo and his advisors as they hope to seal a deal in January.

If the Portugal star accepts Al- Nassr's offer, he will make £62 million, but image rights and other endorsements could raise this sum to over £173 million annually.