Fernando Santos backs Ronaldo despite club and international slumps.

Despite the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is having trouble performing for Portugal, Fernando Santos has made it abundantly clear that he will not bench the player.

The Manchester United superstar had a difficult time during his international break because his team missed out on the chance to win the Nations League for the second time in his career. Instead, Spain beat Portugal by the score of 1-0 in Braga late in the game to take Portugal's spot in the championship match. Add to that a black eye and nasty cut to the nose in addition to a long-awaited charge by the FA, and it's clear to see that Ronaldo is going through a difficult time right now.

In light of this, many people in Ronaldo's native country are questioning whether or not he should continue to play the position of leading the line up to the World Cup, which will begin in a little under two months. The 37-year-old player was previously released by Erik ten Hag at United because he did not suit the free-flowing style of football that Erik ten Hag employs, and now Santos is facing calls to bench the player in Qatar.

The manager of Portugal, who has been in charge for eight years, has reiterated that Ronaldo will continue to be the starting striker for the team come November. During that time, the manager has shown an unwavering faith in Ronaldo. After the game, Santos was asked about Ronaldo's lackluster performance against Spain, and he responded as follows: "The manner in which the team competed is what I find interesting. Ronaldo probably had three or four opportunities to score. Two very good ones, which is the standard number of points he gets. He was unable to score. It's a kind of football."

The comments made by the 67-year-old were also a reaction to the intense pressure that came from certain segments of the Portuguese media in the days leading up to Tuesday's loss. A number of media outlets have called for Ronaldo to be benched in favor of Diogo Jota, Rafael Leao, or Joao Felix, all of whom play for AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool, respectively.

After their 4-0 thrashing of the Czech Republic the previous day, Portugal only needed a draw to secure their spot in the finals of the Nations League in the summer of 2019. In Prague, Ronaldo contributed an assist, and his teammates Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes each scored twice for United. Ronaldo also had an assist.

Portugal's 1-0 loss to Spain was Ronaldo's latest disappointment.

Alvaro Morata scored the game-winning goal for Spain in the 88th minute, much to the dismay of Santos and the rest of their teammates. As a result, Spain emerged victorious and took home all three points. The outcome was quite similar to Portugal's dramatic 2-1 loss to Serbia in November of last year, when once again the Navegadores only needed a draw at home to automatically qualify for the World Cup, but they were forced to qualify through the play-offs because of this result.

Santos, who will probably require a successful World Cup campaign to maintain his job, was critical of the specifics of his team's performance against Spain. He added, "This is the second time we've conceded a goal right at the end [after the loss to Serbia]." If we have to protect ourselves, we ought to defend ourselves with everything we've got. At the conclusion of this game, both the participants and I are in utter disbelief.

"Did I pick up anything new from the game against Serbia? You can't even begin to compare this game to the game against Serbia. Against Serbia, we were able to score, but after that, we were unable to create any further scoring opportunities. Since then, we have made numerous adjustments to both the way we play and the way we think about the game. There is always room for development, that much is certain. This elimination does not in any way diminish my standing. I have a contract till 2024."