Portugal coach breaks silence on reports that Ronaldo threatened to leave World Cup after being benched

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, third from right, sits on the bench during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Portugal and Switzerland, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Cristiano Ronaldo did not threaten to leave the World Cup after being dropped from the starting lineup to play Switzerland in the round of 16, Portugal coach Fernando Santos said Friday.

Santos did acknowledge his star player was "not happy" to be told he was not in the starting lineup in a private meeting on Tuesday after lunch, hours before the game.