The Portuguese press has confirmed that superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will be absent when the national team of Portugal faces Sweden (2:45 AM on March 22, Hanoi time). The reason cited for his absence is to allow CR7 time to rest.
According to the schedule leading up to the commencement of the EURO 2024 final tournament, the Portuguese national team has five friendly matches. Among them, the encounter with Sweden could be considered the most challenging, alongside the match against the third-place finisher of the 2022 World Cup, Croatia (this match will take place on June 8).
Therefore, the Portuguese players are eager to participate in the international matches in March to expedite their preparation for the upcoming major journey. However, Manager Roberto Martinez has decided to rest a series of key players, including superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, along with Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, Otavio, Ruben Neves, Vitinha, and Joao Felix.
Initially, Ronaldo was included in the list of 32 players summoned by Manager Martinez. However, instead of flying back to Portugal to prepare for the match against Sweden, CR7 will remain in Saudi Arabia to enjoy a short vacation with his family.
According to A Bola, it is only after Portugal’s clash with Sweden that Ronaldo will join the team’s training camp. The 39-year-old superstar is likely to play a few minutes in Portugal’s next match as they face Slovenia in Ljubljana.
What is the true reason behind it?
Contrary to certain assertions, it appears Ronaldo may not require this break after all. Since the beginning of 2024, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has only participated in eight matches, all of which were for his club, Al Nassr. Consequently, it is speculated that Ronaldo prefers to confront Sweden instead.
Furthermore, if it is argued that Ronaldo needs rest, then the match against Slovenia would be the appropriate moment for CR7. Ronaldo’s most recent appearance was when he scored the sole goal from a penalty, aiding Al Nassr in defeating Al Ahli 1-0 in the 24th round of the Saudi Pro League on March 16.
Thus, Ronaldo has six days to prepare for the match against Sweden, rendering excessive concern over fatigue unnecessary. Additionally, this match takes place in Portugal, making the travel process convenient.
Conversely, the match against Slovenia is an away game. The team will undergo a journey of over 2,500 kilometers. The match kicks off at 2:45 AM on March 27 (Hanoi time), and by 2 AM on March 31, just four days later, Ronaldo could likely be playing with Al Nassr against Al Tai in the Saudi Pro League.
Therefore, the calculations of the Portuguese national team coaching staff regarding the greatest goal scorer in the team’s history seem evidently flawed. The local media predicts that Coach Martinez actually intends to entrust the responsibility of leading Portugal’s attack against Sweden to young star Goncalo Ramos as a preparation for the EURO 2024 finals.
If Ramos performs well, there is a strong possibility that the PSG player, rather than Ronaldo, will be the mainstay in Portugal’s forward line at the tournament in Germany. This mirrors the approach taken by former coach Fernando Santos in the knockout matches of the 2022 World Cup, where Portugal convincingly defeated Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16 before succumbing to Morocco 0-1 in the quarter-finals.