Cristiano Ronaldo and not Luka Modric should have been crowned UEFA s 2017-18 Player of the Year, according to Portugal head coach Fernando Santos.
Ronaldo scored 15 goals to lead Real Madrid to a third successive Champions League crown last season but the five-time Ballon d Or winner lost out to former team-mate Modric.
Modric won the most votes from coaches and journalists as Ronaldo – who left Madrid for Italian champions Juventus in the off-season – opted to skip the Monaco ceremony last month.
Asked about the decision to overlook Portugal captain Ronaldo, Santos told reporters: The vote for the best of FIFA is not mine. If it was mine, Ronaldo was the champion.
Ronaldo is the champion for me. And in second place, I d put Modric. But the rest of votes come from the public, journalists, other coaches, there are many people, so the decision will be announced at the right date.
There s a previous list, as I ve already said, Modric is a fantastic player, that s why I ve put him in second. But in this previous election, I think Cristiano should ve been the winner for all he did at that period of time and specially at the Champions League.
Santos will be without Ronaldo – who is yet to open his Juventus account – for Portugal s Nations League match against Italy on September 10.
It is Portugal s first appearance since the World Cup, where the European champions suffered a last-16 exit to Uruguay in Sochi.
Portugal is a national squad with Cristiano Ronaldo. He s European champion, the best player in the world. So, Cristiano Ronaldo, such as Joao Moutinho and all the others, Andre Gomes etc, I won t name them all, they are all very important in this team, Santos added.
They achieved an extraordinary triumph for Portugal, they made history. A group of players that have played here and only lost twice, so there s no with or without Ronaldo. And Ronaldo will be in conditions to play with us for a long time.
