Portugal boss Fernando Santos insists his team’s bid for World Cup glory will not be derailed by the Cristiano Ronaldo crisis.
Santos, the coach who guided his nation to glory at Euro 2016, is bullish about lifting the ultimate prize in Qatar despite Ronaldo’s acrimonious departure from Manchester United just 48 hours before the first group game against Ghana.
The 68-year-old did admit that having a swathe of out-of-contract players in his squad did damage Portugal's chances at the 2018 tournament in Russia. But he is backing Ronaldo to be fully focused on the chance of having his finest hour rather than what the future may after his contract at Old Trafford was cancelled.
