Why now is the perfect time for Portugal to drop Cristiano Ronaldo

Not content with crying to Piers Morgan every time somebody is mean to him at school, Cristiano Ronaldo has taken his everlasting love affair with chucking toys out of the pram to the World Cup in Qatar, this time to fall out with Portugal manager Fernando Santos.

Santos is not a man to turn against his players. Pepe is still taking to the field ahead of guys who don't yet qualify for a free bus pass. Danilo Pereira has 64 caps to his name. Jose Fonte was in contention for the final squad and he has playing in the Chinese Super League.

What I'm saying is, he'll stick by you. Perhaps to a fault. But not if you're throwing a strop on the bench against South Korea for the cardinal sin of...being substituted. Not the first time Ronaldo has reacted poorly to being told to sit down and have a breather, is it?

Not the first time he's found being given a rest disrespectful, unlike, for instance, publicly insulting your employers, manager and former colleague on television. Which was fine. A totally normal thing to do and manner in which to behave.

"Have I seen the images when Ronaldo was subbed? Yes. Did I like what I saw? No, I didn't like it one bit," Santos told reporters on Monday, who were all probably grateful to the coach for interrogating himself like Old Gil from The Simpsons.

Patience, it seems, is wearing thin. Not just in the manager's office, either. A poll conducted by the Portuguese newspaper A Bola found that 70% of fans want Ronaldo dropped for Portugal's round of 16 tie against Switzerland.

For Ronaldo, that's a fate worse than death. Particularly if they were to go on and win without him. He probably has a dartboard with Eder's face on it up in his garage - the true hero of Portugal's Euro 2016 triumph.

Given that the Portuguese public have now apparently turned on their former god, is it now time for Ronaldo to elegantly drift to the periphery of the national team picture and offer Santos his services as an impact substitute and supportive dressing room presence?

Dylan Thomas wouldn't have thought so, but Dylan Thomas knew very little about the intricacies of international football, let alone at major tournaments.

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Ronaldo evidently doesn't think so, either, even as he is technically unemployed and currently weighing up a move to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. There are plenty of other offers, his agent swears.

This would, without question, be the best way for Ronaldo to function at the World Cup, as it would have for Ronaldo at Manchester United, had he not forced his way out of the club with all the grace and decorum of a reversing dump truck with no tyres on. Dear lord what a sad little life, Ron.

And that's without taking into account the supreme attacking talent of Rafael Leao - the best player in Serie A last season - that is currently wasted on the substitute's bench to make room.

Leao has looked dangerous in every appearance for Portugal so far and has as many goals in an hour of football as Ronaldo does in 230-odd minutes. Better yet, he hasn't even tried to steal one off a teammate in a bid to match the late Eusebio's international goals record.

Ronaldo's single goal from the penalty spot against Ghana, an extremely soft decision in case you were wondering, is his only contribution of note at the World Cup so far. Unless, of course, you are South Korean and grateful for his no-look assist from a corner to set you on the way to the last 16 (sorry about how it turned out against Brazil).

Compare that with, say, oh I don't know, struggling to think of anyone who comes to mind here. Let's just pick a player at random, any player will do, absolutely anyone, Lionel Messi, and the difference is chalk and a lovely big melted camembert.

Whereas one, and I'm not naming names here, reacted to a shock result at the hands of a seemingly lesser opponent by shushing an opposing player named Cho Gue-sung, the other took it on the chin and scored two beautiful goals against Mexico and Australia. Again, not saying who is who.

Ronaldo is currently being dropped by 70% of armchair managers while Messi is likely breaking all previously known records as the face most tattooed on to the limbs and torso of strangers.

The point is that Ronaldo is 37 years of age and far from the player he (still) thinks he is but that untapped ego and arrogance - both of which made him such a devastating forward at his peak - remain, causing quite a drastic misreading of how exactly he should be valued by managers, pundits, fans...the entire world, really.

You'd hope taking Ronaldo out of the starting line-up would provide something of a reality check, as if literally being fired by Manchester United, a club still paying Phil Jones £100,000 per week, wasn't already enough of one.

Or desperately trying and failing to score your 700th career goal against Omonia Nicosia, even when presented with an open goal. Or voluntarily communicating with Piers Morgan.

Would he take it lightly? Absolutely not, but that shouldn't concern Santos or the rest of the Portugal squad as long as they win against Switzerland.

Portugal are streamlined in his absence, combining their typically rugged defensive unit with the pace and skill of Leao and Joao Felix on the counter, along with greater creative freedom for Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes. They can actually press as a team, too.

Ronaldo remains one of the greatest footballers of all time and a goal threat whenever he takes to the field but he is simply not conducive to a winning team. Santos has probably long realised this, as Massimiliano Allegri did, and is only waiting for the moment the external pressure ebbs back just far enough to take Ronaldo around the back of the stables and put him out of his misery.

I mean, not shoot him, obviously. But name him as a substitute. Which to Ronaldo probably does equate to being shot in the head.

Given everything, the performances, the drama and the public perception; that time is now. Santos will never have a better opportunity or more support for the decision. F*** his 500 million Instagram followers, they have a World Cup to win and they won't with a team centred around Ronaldo.

They might just have a chance otherwise.