“There was a moment with Cristiano when I was worried, when he wasn't going to train with the team. That would be difficult enough. When you're training with the team, you may not have the rhythm of the game, but you have the competitive rhythm of training”, said the coach.

In an interview with Sport TV, Fernando Santos stated that Ronaldo not playing many games with Manchester United is no longer relevant.

“He has played not only in the Europa League, but also in the championship. Before, people could raise the fact that he hadn’t played much, but not so much now.”

The 2022 World Cup takes place in Qatar, between November 20 and December 18, in the middle of the football season, with Portugal part of Group H, along with Ghana (November 24), Uruguay (November 28) and South Korea (December 2nd).