Cristiano Ronaldo cut an isolated figure after Portugal's stunning 6-1 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday night as he walked off the pitch while his team-mates continued to celebrate their stunning performance on the field.
READ: Meet Goncalo Ramos, Portugal's star who replaced Ronaldo; scored hattrick against Switzerland
Portugal had no issues without him in the side as they raced into a 5-1 lead in his absence - with his replacement Goncalo Ramos scoring a hat-trick - before he was introduced having started on the bench in a knockout game for his country for the first time since Euro 2008.
In a clip released after Portugal blew away Switzerland at the Lusail Stadium, Portuguese players can be seen applauding on the pitch as they soak up the acclaim of their fans following a sensational display.
But apart from his colleagues is Ronaldo, who is slowly making his way across the pitch towards the Portuguese tunnel.
The 37-year-old proceeds to exit the pitch on his own and notably his team-mates neglect to join him as they celebrate jubilantly as a group.
Prior to kick-off much of the talk about Portugal's last 16 clash naturally concerned the five-time Ballon d'Or winner as debate raged over why he had been dropped from the side.
Some - including Jamie Carragher - were of the opinion that his omission came as a result of his poor performances in the tournament so far.
Despite becoming the first male player to score at five World Cup tournaments, his only goal came from a penalty in the win over Ghana.
He had also been included in Sofascore's worst team of the group stage ratings, where he was placed up front with an average rating of 6.37 across his three matches.
But others have pointed to the fact that there appeared to be words exchanged between Ronaldo and coach Santos as he was hooked against South Korea in Portugal's final group game.
READ: Why Cristiano Ronaldo was not included in Portugal's playing XI against Switzerland
Santos left the player out of his starting XI just one day after insisting he 'didn't like' the free agent's angry reaction to being taken off in the 2-1 defeat to Son Heung-min's side.
He claimed after the win over Switzerland that Ronaldo was dropped to the bench for tactical reasons rather than as a result of his conduct after being subbed against South Korea.
