Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Portugal’s upcoming friendly match as part of their preparations for Euro 2024. The reason for his absence has not been officially disclosed, but reports suggest it could be due to personal reasons.
This news comes as a bit of a surprise, as Ronaldo is usually one of the first names on the team sheet for Portugal.
It will be interesting to see how Portugal manager Roberto Martinez copes without his star player in the friendly.
Ronaldo’s presence is always a threat to opposing teams, and his absence could give Portugal’s opponents a chance to experiment and test out tactics before the Euros.
Portugal thrashed Sweden 5-2 in a friendly, with five different players finding the net in Ronaldo’s absence.
Notably, the number seven jersey, usually worn by Ronaldo, was donned by a different player for a rare occasion.
Ronaldo has worn the number seven shirt for Portugal almost uncontested since 2007. However, the recent friendly against Sweden provided a chance for Braga winger Bruma to claim the prestigious number.
Bruma is among a select few players who have donned the number seven jersey for Portugal besides Ronaldo since 2007.
Former Wolverhampton winger Trincao wore it in a friendly against Qatar in 2021, while midfielder Sergio Oliveira sported it the previous year during a Nations League win over Croatia.
Coming on as a substitute at halftime against Sweden, Bruma capitalised on the opportunity, scoring Portugal’s fourth goal in their convincing 5-2 victory.
Rafael Leao, Matheus Nunes, Bruno Fernandes, and Goncalo Ramos also got on the scoresheet for Portugal, while Viktor Gyokeres and Gustaf Nilsson found the net for Sweden.
Despite Ronaldo’s absence, Portugal are still expected to win the friendly match. They have a strong squad with plenty of talent, and they will be looking to use this match as an opportunity to build momentum ahead of the Euros.
