Gary Neville has taken a fresh swipe at Cristiano Ronaldo after the veteran forward was dropped for Portugal's thumping 6-1 win over Switzerland on Tuesday.
Fernando Santos decided to name Ronaldo on the bench for Portugal's all-important last-16 clash against the Swiss, with Goncalo Ramos replacing him in the starting XI. It was a decision that paid off, however, with 21-year-old Ramos grabbing a hat-trick as Portugal booked their place in the quarter-final against Morocco.
However, Ronaldo drew most of the attention after the game with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner being the first Portugal player to walk down the tunnel while the rest of his teammates celebrated the victory. Then his girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, hit out at Santos for dropping the 'best player in the world', while also branding it a 'shame'.
Following Ronaldo's latest setback, Neville has admitted that teams are better off without him after United confirmed he had left the club by mutual consent last month. This was after Ronaldo conducted a controversial interview with Piers Morgan, where he slammed a number of areas at Old Trafford, including Erik ten Hag and the Glazers.
Neville told Sky Bet : "Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest player I’ve ever seen, and despite what he may think, I love him to bits – he is unbelievable. His long-term legacy is set. The problem I have is that his determination and single-mindedness has got him to where he is, but it led to his departure from Manchester United being a little scruffy.
“If he came out and did interviews where he said he was angry, I would’ve sided with him more, but bar his interview with Piers Morgan he hasn’t spoken publicly – or done an interview with the club. His managers – first Erik ten Hag and now Fernando Santos – have come out and said they are not happy with his behaviour.
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"I worry about the influence he will have on other players when he refuses to be part of a team. Ronaldo is better than that. The biggest problem is that his managers at Portugal and Manchester United thought they were better without Ronaldo in the team, and he’s finding that difficult to come to terms with.
"Portugal’s best performance of the tournament, the 6-1 win over Switzerland, was without him – and they looked much more mobile. João Felix and Bruno Fernandes really came alive. This reminds me of United – they are better when he is not in the team."
Portugal face Morocco in the last eight on Saturday and Ronaldo could be named on the bench once again following Ramos' excellent performance. It would be a surprise to see the Benfica man dropped, despite Ronaldo's incredible record at club and international record.
