Portugal's Ronaldo to miss World Cup warm-up friendly

16.11.2022 - 21:25 news24.com

Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo is suffering a stomach bug and will be left out of the team's World Cup warm-up friendly against Nigeria on Thursday, according to his coach Fernando Santos.Ronaldo gave an explosive interview to Piers Morgan's show on TalkTV this week in which he criticised Manchester United and said he had no respect for the coach Erik ten Hag, who has not relied on him much this season.The striker, 37, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, will not train on Wednesday because of the illness, which has started amid the controversy caused by his interview."He is suffering from gastroenteritis and will not train today for this reason," Santos told a press conference in Lisbon."He won't be ready (to face Nigeria), he's resting, as you know, gastritis takes a lot out of players."The coach said Ronaldo's interview was not sanctioned by Portugal but did not need to be either, and that it had nothing to do with the national team.Once recovered, Ronaldo is set to feature in his fifth and potentially final World Cup, with Portugal opening their campaign against Ghana on 24 November, before games against Uruguay and South Korea.The talismanic striker and his country have never won the competition but did triumph at Euro 2016 and won the Nations League in 2019.

soccer cup Cristiano Ronaldo Fernando Santos Piers Morgan Manchester Portugal Santos Ghana Nigeria Uruguay South Korea Lisbon

DOHA: Cristiano Ronaldo will aim to fire Portugal past Switzerland and into the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday as Morocco bid to derail Spain’s bid for a second global crown. Just two last-eight slots remain to be filled in Qatar after five-time winners Brazil swatted aside South Korea 4-1 and 2018 finalists Croatia squeezed past Japan via a penalty shoot-out. Ronaldo was hogging the headlines at the tournament even before he kicked a ball after launching a tirade against Manchester United and their manager Erik ten Hag. Following an exit by “mutual agreement” he is now seeking a new team, with sources saying he is in talks over a blockbuster deal with Saudi club Al-Nassr. The 37-year-old superstar forward, who is appearing in what is almost certainly his last World Cup, has been a shadow of his former self in Qatar despite all the hype. After scoring a penalty in his team’s opening clash against Ghana to become the first player to score at five World Cups, he has huffed and puffed but has failed to find the net again. Ronaldo’s starting role in the team remains a hot topic among Portugal fans, but coach Fernando Santos said he was not paying attention to the raging debate. “I do not read this type of material,” he said. “It is not a lack of respect, it is simply that we have three days to train for a game and I am not looking at other kinds of news. We focus on the upcoming match.” Santos said he expected a close contest against Switzerland. Portugal beat the Swiss 4-0 in the UEFA Nations League in June before losing 1-0 in the reverse fixture.

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