Fernando Santos has resigned as Portugal’s manager following the exit of Portugal in the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup.

After Portugal’s shocking 1-0 quarterfinal World Cup loss to Morocco, the 68-year-old departs.

Santos oversaw Portugal for eight years, winning the 2016 Euro Championship and the 2019 Uefa Nations League with the team.

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However, his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for the Qatar 2022 semifinal matches dominated his final games.

Ronaldo’s harsh response to being replaced during the last group match against South Korea led Santos to decide to bench the 37-year-old prior to the last-16 encounter with Switzerland.

Goncalo Ramos, Ronaldo’s replacement, scored a hat-trick as Portugal defeated Switzerland 6-1, but they were shocked when Morocco became the first African country to advance to the World Cup semifinals.

According to the Portuguese Football Association (FPF):

“The FPF Board will now start the process of choosing the next national coach.”

The FPF thanks Fernando Santos and his technical team for the services provided over eight unique years and believes that this thanks is also made on behalf of the Portuguese people.