Unseen footage shows Cristiano Ronaldo DID clap Portugal fans after 6-1 Switzerland thrashing
Cristiano Ronaldo was spotted walking off the pitch but new footage does show he did applaud supporters.
New footage shows that Cristiano Ronaldo did applaud Portugal fans before heading down the tunnel after the 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland last night.
Ronaldo, Portugal's captain and record goalscorer, was controversially dropped for the round of 16 clash by manager Fernando Santos.
It came after Ronaldo reacted angrily to being substituted in the previous fixture, a 2-1 defeat to South Korea in the group stages.
But the decision to bench the 37-year-old was more than justified as his replacement, Benfica striker, Goncalo Ramos, bagged a hat-trick on his World Cup debut.
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Ronaldo came on for Joao Felix in the 73rd minute and after the rout, footage appeared to show him walking straight off the pitch after the final whistle as his teammates celebrated with the supporters.
However, that clip didn't quite tell the full story. New footage released captured Ronaldo clapping the supporters prior to walking off.
Though quick-thinking Bernardo Silva took a different approach, Ronaldo was also very much involved in the goal celebrations where substitutes piled on their teammates.
In addition to Ramos' trio of goals, Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leao were all on target as Portugal set up a quarter-final showdown with Morocco on Saturday. Manuel Akanji bagged a consolation for the Swiss, whose campaign ended in monumental disappointment.
Predictably Santos was asked about Ronaldo in his post-match press conference and said his role is to be "defined" but maintained he has "an important player"
"That is still something that has to be defined," he explained.
"I have a very close relationship with him - I always have, I have known him since he was 19 years old.
"This relationship only develops, Ronaldo and I never interpret the human aspect of that of manager and player (in relation to) what we have to do during the match.
"I will always consider in my role that he is an important player to have in the team."
Asked if he would start against Morocco, Santos said Ronaldo would "definitely" be involved in some capacity.
Ronaldo didn't spend much time in the mixed zone and answered just the one questioned.
Asked if he was happy, he smiled and replied, "Of course, of course. Portugal won."
Ronaldo has scored one goal in this World Cup and needs one more to match Eusebio's record in the tournament.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, Football World Cup, Switzerland
Josh Lawless