Portugal midfielder William Carvalho has insisted former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo 'was always with the team' despite being benched at the World Cup.
Ronaldo started all three of Portugal's group games in Qatar but found the net just once from the penalty spot in their 3-2 win over Ghana. Despite finishing top of Group H, Ronaldo was dropped in place of young Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos for the knockout stages, a decision which ultimately paid off as he netted a hat-trick in a 5-1 demolition of Switzerland.
Portugal were then knocked out by Morocco in the quarter-finals but Ronaldo's diminished role at international level almost mirrored that of his final few months at United, which then led to his departure. However, speaking to newspaper A Bola, via Indian Express, Carvalho stated that while Ronaldo was obviously disappointed with being benched, he still remained supportive of the team from the bench.
