With Portugal and Croatia level entering the final 10 minutes of their round of 32 tie, Roberto Martinez sprung a surprise when he substituted Cristiano Ronaldo.The Portugal head coach has stuck with Ronaldo as his focal point in attack throughout his reign, even as calls have grown louder — including in this tournament — to move on from him.Yet at a pivotal point in the game, he removed him from the action, even though Ronaldo had kept his composure to score Portugal’s equaliser from the spot. Moments before that penalty kick, he had reminded everybody of his quality with a smart touch and finish. The only problem is that he was marginally offside.Only Ronaldo can speak to how he was feeling in these moments, but it is not difficult to look at how the Al-Nassr forward reacted and imagine what he was thinking when he saw his number up on the substitutes board.It’s a reaction that is relatively common among elite players. They never want to come off the pitch regardless of the situation. Mohamed Salah, for example, is another player at the top of the game who isn’t scared to hide his feelings when he has to make his way to the touchline.It seemed to take a moment for Ronaldo to register that he was actually being taken off as he took a couple of deliberate steps before eventually beginning to remove his captain’s armband.That was then the cameras zoomed in on his face, and if there was any doubt about whether he was fine with the decision, that was eliminated……as we watched the realisation set in.“To me it reads as internal conflict in the best possible way,” says sports psychologist Marc Sagal, the founder of The Winning Mind, who has worked extensively with top teams in the Premier League and beyond.“On one hand, he couldn’t possibly want to come off. His whole identity and being is about being competing on centre stage in the biggest moments. On the other hand, as much as he is about himself, as many great athletes must be, he loves his team and his country and knows the world is watching. He must have, in that moment, also wanted to show his ability to put others before himself.”