• Portugal lost 1-0 to Morocco in World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday.
• His replacement has not yet been named by Portuguese football federation.
• Cristiano Ronaldo’s future position will be a major concern for whoever replaces him.

Fernando Santos, the coach of Portugal, has resigned, the Portuguese soccer organisation announced on Thursday. This comes five days after Portugal’s quarterfinal World Cup defeat.

According to a statement, the 68-year-old Santos and the federation came to an amicable agreement for him to depart his position two years before his term expires. Santos’ replacement was not named by the federation, but it did announce that it had begun its hunt.

Santos steered Portugal to victories in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019 and the 2016 European Championship, the nation’s first-ever international trophies. After falling to Morocco 1-0 in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, Portugal departed Qatar.

With an impressive breadth of quality, the Portuguese team won its first two games in the group stage. It made a big impression by crushing Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16.

The early withdrawal of Portugal from Qatar, however, was widely viewed as a failure. Managing Cristiano Ronaldo‘s future position on the squad will be a difficult decision for whoever takes the helm.

In order to make room for the newcomers, the old guard was dismantled. He once again began off the bench against Morocco.

These tactical choices strained Santos’ relationship with his top player, who sobbed as he left the field following Morocco’s loss. In a subsequent Instagram post, Ronaldo said that his World Cup dream was “finished,” but he left open the possibility of continuing to play for his country.

At least Portugal’s qualification process for Euro 2024 seems simple. Bosnia, Iceland, Slovakia, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg are its adversaries in Group J.

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