Ronaldo might not play in the upcoming match against Denmark!

On Tuesday in Malmö, the 41-year-old forward was nowhere to be seen during the national team's training session, as Jorge Jesus carried on shaping his plans for the upcoming UEFA Nations League meeting with Denmark. Before departing the training facilities and heading back to the team hotel, Ronaldo exchanged a few brief words with the head coach.

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The Portuguese Football Federation, as reported by A Bola, offered an explanation: rather than joining his teammates on the pitch, Ronaldo completed a tailored gym session back at the hotel. The reasoning was purely logistical — the stadium's gym apparently lacked a specific piece of equipment that the Portugal captain needed for his individual programme.

What has given the episode extra weight is the context surrounding it. In Portugal's previous Nations League outing against Norway, Ronaldo did not set foot on the pitch at all. Jorge Jesus kept his captain rooted to the bench throughout the entire 2-1 victory — the first time since Euro 2008 that Ronaldo had remained an unused substitute for Portugal in a competitive fixture.

Speaking after that Norway match, Jesus insisted Ronaldo had been physically fit and available, revealing that he had initially intended to bring the striker on for roughly half an hour, only for the flow of the game to push him towards different substitutions. As for Tuesday's absence from training, no medical issue has been officially confirmed.

Hazem Mlhem |

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Hazem Mlhem est un rédacteur sportif expérimenté, animé par une passion pour le football africain.

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