No Cristiano Ronaldo in Qatar 2022 opener? Portugal captain skips training due to illness

Portugal is all set to open their FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar campaign against Group H rivals Ghana at Stadium 976 in a week’s time. Led by the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal head into the prestigious tournament as the No. 9-ranked team in the FIFA men’s rankings. Ahead of the World Cup, Portugal encountered Nigeria in an international friendly match on Thursday night without the services of the captain.

While Portugal went to claim a 4-0 victory at the José Alvalade Stadium, Ronaldo’s absence sparked concerns about him missing Portugal’s opening game at the World Cup. However, as revealed by the team’s coach Fernando Santos, Ronaldo missed Wednesday’s training session, followed by the friendly match on Thursday due to a stomach bug. As reported by ESPN, providing an update about the 37-year-old, Santos said, “Ronaldo has gastritis and did not train today in order to recover and rest”.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo recover in time for Portgual vs Ghana?

Ronaldo is expected to recover in time for Portugal’s first game at the FIFA World Cup 2022 as the match is still a week to go. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner continues to be in the headlines for his explosive interview with Piers Morgan that surfaced earlier this week. Ronaldo made several notable revelations about his ongoing stint at Old Trafford with Manchester United and also about his personal life in the interview.

Ronaldo's fierce interview about Manchester United rocks football world 

The Portuguese captain also revealed he feels 'betrayed' by the club for trying to force him out of Manchester United. He also claimed about having 'no respect' for the current United manager Erik ten Hag, as the coach doesn’t respect him too. The full-length explosive interview with Morgan went live on Thursday, which has got the entire footballing world talking about it.

Coming back to Portugal’s opening game at Qatar 2022, they are placed in Group H alongside Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea. Portugal is the only team in the group to be placed in the top 10 FIFA rankings. While Ghana is the lowest-ranked team at 61st place, Uruguay is placed at 14th, alongside South Korea in the 28th spot.

Portugal’s Group H schedule at the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar

• Portugal vs Ghana - November 24, Thursday at 9:30 PM IST
• Portugal vs Uruguay - November 29, Tuesday at 12:30 AM IST
• Portugal vs South Korea - December 2, Friday at 8:30 PM IST