Gonçalo Ramos of Benfica should start for Portugal instead of captain Cristiano Ronaldo when they play Morocco on Saturday in the World Cup quarterfinal match in Qatar, according to head coach of Nigeria Jose Peseiro.

Prior to Portugal's 2022 World Cup match against Morocco, Peseiro acknowledged that Fernando Santos, the team's coach, must decide between Ronaldo and Ramos.

Recall that Santos decided to bench Ronaldo in their last game against Switzerland and it proved to be a masterstroke, with his replacement Ramos scoring his first hat-trick at the international level.

Ronaldo, who started all of Portugal’s matches in the group stage, looked a shadow of himself, netting just once from the penalty spot against the Black Stars of Ghana.

“It is not easy to put Cristiano back on the bench, just as it is not easy to put Gonçalo on the bench now,” Peseiro told Portuguese sports daily A Bola.

“It is even more necessary to be able to have someone more mobile up front, as is, without question, Gonçalo Ramos compared to (current) Ronaldo,” he added.