One of Cristiano Ronaldo's compatriots, who just missed out on Portugal's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has insisted that A Selecao plays better without the star striker.
The 37-year-old made the headlines following Portugal's resounding 6-1 win over Switzerland on Monday when it was reported that he had threatened to leave the team's World Cup base after being dropped from the starting XI for that game.
The national team and the player have since cleared the air about those reports, revealing that they remain united with a common objective of doing well at the tournament.
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His replacement against Switzerland, Goncalo Ramos, did not waste his rare starting opportunity, though, as he helped himself to a stunning hat-trick and an assist, casting doubt as to whether or not Ronaldo will be brought back into the starting line-up for Saturday's quarter-final against Morocco.
Portugal defender Jose Fonte, who was named in the Iberians' preliminary squad for the World Cup but was omitted from the final selection, seemingly believes he should stay out of the starting XI.
"Portugal have the quality to do this [win 6-1] in every game, but we have to be honest – just his presence on the field makes the players of the national team unconsciously and automatically have to play for him and always give him the ball," Fonte said, according to A Bola.
"For being who he is, for what he has done and what he is still capable of doing.
"When he is not there, Portugal plays more as a team and that was seen [against Switzerland].
"They played fluidly, without a single focal point, everyone contributed and it was beautiful to see."
Meanwhile, Atlas Lions boss Walid Regragui has insisted he would prefer that Ronaldo does not start against his side on Saturday due to the threat he carries.
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"I don't know if Ronaldo will start. I hope he won't," Regragui said during a press conference, according to Yahoo News.
"As a coach, I know he's one of the best players in history. I'd be delighted if he didn't play.
"But we're not going to focus on Portugal. They're hungry, they also want to get into the history books.
"We're going to have more supporters in the stadium, and we can do it."
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