Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal is a better football team without Cristiano Ronaldo, and the only person who doesn't seem to know that is Ronaldo himself.

Harsh or not, it was the general sentiment after Portugal blasted Switzerland on Tuesday 6-1 in round-of-16 play at the World Cup. Ronaldo didn't start in the game and wasn't subbed on until the 72nd minute, while his replacement in the starting 11, Gonçalo Ramos, notched a hat trick and added an assist.

And yet, Ronaldo was the storyline. Without him, Portugal looked like a legitimate contender to win a World Cup title, brushing aside the dangerous Swiss with relative ease.

Unsurprisingly, football Twitter had a field day dunking on Ronaldo after the match:

Ronaldo's role as a sub was deserved on more than one level. It obviously was the correct tactical move, given the result, but he also earned the ire of manager Fernando Santos after he appeared to say, "He's in a rush to sub me" while unhappily leaving the pitch as part of a 65th-minute change during Friday's 2-1 loss to South Korea.

"On the pitch, I didn't hear anything," Santos told reporters this week of the incident. "I was too far, and this is why I only saw him arguing with a South Korean player, and nothing else."

"Have I already watched the footage? Yes. I didn't like it," he continued. "Didn't like it at all. From there, it's things you sort out internally. It was sorted out this way, and now we think about the game tomorrow. Everyone is focused on the game."

And yet Ronaldo is undoubtedly a legend of the game and the most important player in Portugal's history, so keeping him out of the starting lineup for a knockout-phase game was no small decision. Even if it felt like the correct move, it was still shocking.

It has to be Santos' approach going forward, however. Portugal was a buzzsaw without Ronaldo, a player who still has a goal in him but is little more than a poacher at this point in his career. He simply doesn't offer the dynamic movement or pressing that Ramos brings to the table, making Portugal far more static when he's on the pitch.

Time spares no man. It's a lesson that can be hard to face for once-elite athletes in particular. But on Tuesday, it was abundantly clear that the 37-year-old's time as Portugal's centerpiece is well and truly over.

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't yet agreed to a deal with Saudi club Al-Nassr, according to ESPN's Adriana Garcia.

Spanish newspaper Marca reported Monday that Ronaldo would join Al-Nassr on Jan. 1 after he struck a bargain on a two-and-a-half-year contract worth around $500 million.

However, Garcia reported the five-time Ballon d'Or winner "has not signed anything with any club," though Al-Nassr is the only team to make a formal offer to this point.

Ronaldo is a free agent after he and Manchester United agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect in November. It brought an end to a turbulent second spell at Old Trafford.

The fact United preferred to simply release him altogether rather than wait until the January transfer window and his subsequent inability to land with another European club illustrate how far the 37-year-old's stock has fallen.

Ronaldo might be hoping a strong World Cup will entice a Champions League side or one that at least has ambitions of reaching Europe in 2023-24.

If that's the case, then his plan isn't working out.

Portugal advanced to the round of 16, where it faces Switzerland on Tuesday, but its captain hasn't been integral to those efforts. His only goal of the tournament so far came from the penalty spot, and he was notably subbed off in the 64th minute of a 2-1 loss to South Korea in the group stage.

Coach Fernando Santos subsequently criticized how Ronaldo reacted to being removed from the match. Perhaps tellingly, Santos didn't confirm whether he'll start the veteran forward against the Swiss.

It's tough to see a return to high-level European soccer for Ronaldo at this point, so he might have little choice but to accept the Al-Nassr offer if he wants to continue playing competitively.

Portugal manager Fernando Santos did not appreciate Cristiano Ronaldo's frustration at being subbed off in the 65th minute during Friday's 2-1 loss to South Korea.

"On the pitch, I didn't hear anything," he told reporters. "I was too far, and this is why I only saw him arguing with a South Korean player, and nothing else.

"Have I already watched the footage? Yes. I didn't like it," Santos continued. "Didn't like it at all. From there, it's things you sort out internally. It was sorted out this way, and now we think about the game tomorrow. Everyone is focused on the game."

Per ESPN's Rob Dawson, Ronaldo appeared to say, "He's in a rush to sub me" while he walked off the pitch.

Ronaldo and South Korea's Gue-sung Cho then got into a verbal altercation as the Portugal forward left the match.

"What happened was before my substitution, the South Korea player told me to get off quickly," Ronaldo told reporters afterward. "I told him to shut up as he doesn't have that authority. There was no disagreement [with the coach]."

Santos spoke about the interaction following the match as well:

"The player from Korea was insulting him telling him to go away, so that is the reason why he was angry, everyone saw that. I saw the interaction with the Korea player and I don't have any doubts about it and if you see the images you see Pepe went towards the Korea player. He was not aggressive, he was only verbally aggressive, he was speaking in English to Cristiano, and Cristiano said, 'Perhaps he had a bad day.'"

Ronaldo, 37, has made a habit of angering his managers this season, leaving a trail of discontent at Manchester United before the two sides parted ways leading into the World Cup.

"I don't have respect for [Manchester United manager] Erik ten Hag because he doesn't show respect for me," Ronaldo told Piers Morgan in an explosive interview in November. "If you don't have respect for me, I will never have any for you."

That interview appeared to be Ronaldo's boldest attempt to force a move away from United. He previously left during the second half of a preseason friendly and refused to enter an October match against Tottenham as a second-half substitute, among other confrontational actions.

Ronaldo got his wish at the club level. But his relationship with Santos, in what likely will be the veteran striker's final World Cup tournament, will be under the microscope as Portugal prepare for a matchup against Switzerland on Tuesday in the round of 16.

Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly join Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr after his midseason departure from Manchester United, per José Félix Díaz of Marca.

The two-and-a-half-year deal is reportedly worth over €500, including a signing-on fee and financial incentives from advertising. His annual salary of nearly 200 million euros will make him the highest-paid athlete in the world.

After a tumultuous few months to open the 2022-23 season, United announced on November 22 that the two sides had mutually agreed to part ways. Ronaldo has been competing with Portugal at the World Cup since then, helping the national team reach the knockout stage.

The 37-year-old had been seeking a move away from Old Trafford since the summer transfer window, although there was reportedly limited interest among the top leagues, per Mark Ogden of ESPN.

Ronaldo struggled to find playing time once the season began, making just four starts among 10 appearances in the Premier League. He tallied only one goal and no assists in league play.

The veteran also received a one-match ban after refusing to sub into a match in October, and his relationship with the Old Trafford club and United manager Erik ten Hag finally deteriorated with an explosive interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.

The latest move allows Ronaldo to get a fresh start as he tries to add to his incredible career resume.

The superstar has been among the best players in the world over the past two decades, winning the Ballon d'Or five times. He helped teams win five Champions League titles, and he also won domestic trophies with United, Real Madrid and Juventus.

Though his production has slowed in recent years, he finished third in the Premier League with 18 goals in 2021-22, adding six more in seven Champions League matches.

Ronaldo should once again put up big numbers for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. Though he might be unfamiliar with the competition, his skill set should allow him to be a difference-maker right away.

Al Nassr is second in the SPL table, three points behind Al Shabab FC through eight matches, although the club has won three titles since 2014.

The global superstar should also bring plenty of attention to Al Nassr while likely selling millions of jerseys, helping justify the investment.