Georgina Rodriguez launched a fierce defence of Cristiano Ronaldo after her megastar boyfriend watched most of Portugal 's World Cup downfall from the bench.
Ronaldo was left out of the starting XI by manager Fernando Santos, as the Portuguese crashed out thanks to a shock 1-0 defeat to underdogs Morocco in their dramatic quarter-final clash on Saturday. The 37-year-old was first dropped ahead Tuesday's 5-1 round-of-16 victory over Switzerland after Santos took issue with his reaction to being substituted during their final group-stage match.
Rodriguez, who's been dating Ronaldo since 2015 and given birth to two of their children, wasted no time after the final whistle to voice her displeasure with Santos' decision. The message came shortly after her partner sulked down the tunnel in tears, having come on as a second-half substitute. "Today your friend and coach decided wrong," the Argentine model, 28, fumed an Instagram.
"That friend for whom so many words of admiration and respect you have. The same as when you got into the game, he saw how everything changed, but it was too late. You can't underestimate the best player in the world, his most powerful weapon. Nor can you stand up for someone that he doesn't deserve it. Life gives us lessons. Today we have not lost, we have learned. Cristiano, we admire you."
In a response to critics such as Rodriguez, Santos insists that he has no regrets over his decision. "No, I don't think so, no regrets," the 68-year-old affifmed post-match. "This was a team that played very well against Switzerland. Cristiano is a great player, he came in when we thought it was necessary. No, I have no regrets."
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Santos - who's now set to be sacked after eight years in charge, during which he turned Portugal into European champions - added: "I do not think that the criticism he faced had any impact on the match. We have always been a team that is very united.
"If we take two people that were the most upset about the game, perhaps it was Cristiano and myself. We are upset of course, it affects us, but it's part of the game as a coach and a player."
The Portugal boss, whose contract doesn't expire until 2024, was asked directly whether he would walk away on his own accord. "I have already discussed this with the president," he replied. "Since 2014 the possibility of resignation has been discussed.
"This word is not part of our vocabulary. We did not go as far as we wanted, it's sad. Our team has great quality, we could have played better but there were games where we needed a touch of luck. That did not happen."
