FIFA World Cup 2022: Ronaldo's girlfriend and sister target coach Santos after playing XI snub

Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend Georgina Gio and sister Elma Aveiro have gone on unhinged rants after the footballer was left out of playing XI in the match against Switzerland at the FIFA World Cup. Aveiro and Gio took to their respective Instagram accounts to post a lengthy tirade and takeshots at Portugal coach Fernando Santos.

"Yes Ronaldo is not eternal, yes Ronaldo won’t play forever, unfortunately he doesn’t score goals now, he’s old, Portugal doesn’t need Ronaldo. We talked about what we heard, all that he did isn’t important, all that he did was forgotten," wrote Aveiro in the story.

"We talked about what we heard, all that he did isn’t important, all that he did was forgotten.Now they ask for forgiveness and they don’t need him. I will register that and later we’ll talk."

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Aveiro took a dig at Santos by saying, "Rui Santos, what will he apologise for? Now we we can f*** who we want."

She signed off her rant by stating, "It is a shame to humiliate a man who has given so much, but later I will see a lot more."

WATCH | Cristiano Ronaldo walks off the pitch while teammates celebrate World Cup victory

Ronaldo's girlfriend also shared her disappointment at Ronaldo's snub from the playing XI and launched a scathing attack on Santos.

“Congratulations Portugal. While the 11 players sang the anthem, all eyes were on you. What a shame not to have been able to enjoy the best player in the world for 90 minutes,” she captioned a photo.

“The fans did not stop asking for you and shouting your name . May God and your dear friend Fernando continue hand in hand and make us vibrate one more night.”

Notably, an hour before kick-off at the Lusail Stadium where Portugal squared up against Switzerland in the round of 16 clash, manager Santos released his playing XI which instantly became a major talking point.

Santos benched Ronaldo and replaced him with Benfica’s 21-year-old forward Goncalo Ramos. While some agreed with Santos' decision, the majority were miffed that not playing a player of the class of Ronaldo was disrespectful and that some trouble had brewed between the coach and the player.

Despite the furore surrounding the selection choice, the Portuguese team managed to do just fine without their talisman. Ramos shone brightly as he bagged a hattrick on his World Cup debut, shushing the doubters in the process.

Ronaldo was subbed on after Portugal had a cushion of five goals. While Aveiro cussed Santos, the latter in the post-match conference cleared that all was well between him and Ronaldo.

“Cristiano and Ramos are different players. There is no problem with our captain. We’ve been friends for years. We spoke before the game and he had no issue with my decision,” said Santos.

Portugal have advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup and will now square up against Morocco on Saturday.

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