Fernando Santos took the bold decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo following the group stage of the World Cup but his side went out to Morocco in the quarter-finals; Roma boss Jose Mourinho one of the early favourites to replace Santos
Friday 16 December 2022 07:04, UK
Fernando Santos has left his role as head coach of Portugal following their World Cup exit.
It follows Portugal's shock 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the quarter-finals in Qatar.
Santos, who led Portugal to victory at Euro 2016 as well as the inaugural Nations League in 2018-19, took the bold decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo following the group stage.
It paid off in the last 16, as Ronaldo's replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win over Switzerland.
Ronaldo came on as a substitute in the quarter-final match against Morocco but could not prevent them going out.
Santos repeatedly faced questions over dropping Ronaldo, with the former Manchester United forward denying a report which claimed he had threatened to leave Qatar in an exchange with his head coach.
Santos insisted he had no regrets about the decisions over Ronaldo, who was left in tears at the final whistle of the Morocco defeat.
The Portuguese Football Federation said it was the "right moment to start a new cycle" despite Santos being under contract until after Euro 2024.
Portugal will now begin the process of appointing a new head coach, with Roma boss Jose Mourinho one of the early favourites for the post.
A statement from the Portuguese Football Federation read: "It was an honour to have a coach and a person like Fernando Santos at the head of the national team.
"The FPF thanks Fernando Santos and his technical team for the services provided over eight unique years and believes that this thanks is also made on behalf of the Portuguese people.
"The FPF board will now begin the process of choosing the next national coach."
