Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is now said to have received some "special treatment" in the Portugal camp in Qatar after he was surprisingly dropped by head coach Fernando Santos against Switzerland on Tuesday.
The A Selecao captain started their 2022 FIFA World Cup round of 16 clash on the bench, with the manager opting instead for young striker Goncalo Ramos, who justified his selection with a stunning hat-trick and an assist.
Read: WATCH: What Ronaldo did after being dropped against the Swiss
Santos' side claimed an emphatic 6-1 victory on the night – their biggest knockout-stage victory in their history – while the win also marked the third time the team has made it to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Ronaldo, whose omission from the starting XI was a major talking point, was brought on in the 73rd minute to a loud reception when the score was 5-1, but the 37-year-old had no real impact on the match, with compatriot Rafael Leao putting the final nail in the Swiss' coffin in added time.
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According to Marca, on Wednesday, the former Manchester United star was expected to train with the rest of the substitutes as well as those who did not feature in the game against Switzerland.
However, he did not appear for that session as expected, opting instead to do gym work alongside those who did start the round of 16 encounter.
This was a surprise to journalists who were present given that Ronaldo is thought to have no fitness concerns, which would exempt him from a full training session with the substitutes and those who did not play on Tuesday.
Some reports have suggested that the former Manchester United star asked his manager to do the gym work instead of training, while others have claimed that he made the decision to do so without informing Santos.
Read: Ten Hag breaks silence on Ronaldo's controversial exit
This has only added to speculation that the head coach and Ronaldo are experiencing a fracture in their relationship as a result of him being dropped after the manager expressed his unhappiness with the player's reaction to being substituted against South Korea last week.
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WATCH: PORTUGAL THRASH SWITZERLAND IN WORLD CUP ROUND OF 16
