Masks off, Carragher reveals the truth why Ronaldo was benched

One of the biggest doubts that arose in the build-up to the final round of 16 clash between Portugal and Switzerland was the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo from the Portuguese starting line-up. Although the former Manchester United man's performances have not been the best even in Qatar, no one doubted that one of his geniuses on the pitch would see his side through to the next round.

While some said that his absence from the starting line-up was due to his tantrum after being substituted against South Korea, others pointed more to a game plan in which the coach was looking for a late revival, with former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher revealing that the real reason Ronaldo was not starting was a question of form.

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The former Reds player, once he heard about Fernando Santos' starting line-up, took to Twitter to post his opinion on why CR7 was left out of the starting line-up, claiming that the Portugal coach focused solely on football, with the striker missing out in these knockout rounds where any dangerous approach had to be taken advantage of. Would Portugal coach Santos drop Ronaldo just because of his reaction to being substituted in the last game? I think he's out because of his performances, not his reaction."

It is clear that the former Manchester United player was clearly not at his best after being a player rarely called upon in the Red Devils' matches in both the Premier League and UEFA Europa League this season, dragging that bad luck all the way to Qatar where despite having scored once, that goal did not help him to motivate himself and be the same Cristiano Rolando that everyone was used to.

Portugal won without Cristiano Ronaldo

The negative reactions and the bad games that Cristiano Ronaldo consumes reflect part of his frustration at not being able to regain part of his level and be again that decisive footballer he was just a couple of seasons ago. Although the World Cup is not over yet for Portugal and CR7, surely after what he showed against Switzerland, his participation will decrease and he will be more focused as a revulsive for the second halves.