Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of Portugal’s squad for the pre-FIFA World Cup friendlies, as head coach Roberto Martinez announced his squad on Friday.Portugal is scheduled to face the Mexico national soccer team on March 28 at Azteca Banorte Stadium, followed by a match against the United States men’s national soccer team on March 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.RonaldoHis absence while playing for Al Nasser is due to a muscle injury. The striker is recuperating in Madrid after initially rehabbing in Saudi Arabia. Reports suggest that his comeback took a little longer than expected, which led to him being dropped from the squad.Martinez, however, allayed concerns over the veteran forward’s fitness ahead of the World Cup.“The World Cup is not at risk! He is not at risk. It is a minor muscle injury, and we think he can be back in a week or two. Everything Cristiano has done physically during the season shows that he is in very good shape.”A hamstring problem following Al-Nasr’s game against Al-Fayha forced Ronaldo out despite being in top form. He currently leads the league’s Golden Boot race with 21 goals, while Al Nasr top the table with 67 points from 26 matches.In another notable decision, Bernardo Silva was also dropped, with Martinez confirming it was a “technical decision” based on his club’s medical inputs.Portugal begin their preparations in Mexico next week, gathering on Monday before resuming training on Tuesday. Looking at the World Cup, Portugal have been drawn in Group K alongside Uzbekistan, Colombia and the yet-to-be-decided qualifiers, whose campaign kicks off in Houston on June 17.Ronaldo is a central figure for Portugal on the world stage. The upcoming tournament will mark his sixth World Cup appearance, adding to an impressive international career that has included leading the nation to the UEFA Euro 2016 title and UEFA Nations League triumphs in 2019 and 2025.Portugal Squad:Goalkeepers: Diego Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rui Silva (Sporting CP)Defenders: Mathis Nunes (Manchester City), Diego Dalot (Manchester United), João Cancelo (FC Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Antonio Silva (SL Benfica), Tomas Araujo (SL Benfica).Midfielders: Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Samo Costa (Mallorca), Matisse Fernandez (West Ham), Joao Neves (PSG), Vitenha (PSG), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Rodrigo Moura (FC Porto).Forwards: Ricardo Horta (SC Braga), Pedro Goncalves (Sporting CP), Joao Félix (Al Nasser), Francisco Trincão (Sporting CP), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus), Rafael Lew (AC Milan), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Goncalo Guedes (Rigodis), Goncalo Guedes (Rigodis).
