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Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of Portugal's squad and will not be participating in the Selecao's next match against Sweden on Thursday, March 21. The reason behind coach Roberto Martinez not selecting him for the friendly encounter has come to light.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was included in Martinez's list of 32 players, but he won't be the only player to have a break and skip the Sweden game. Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, Otavio, Ruben Neves, Vitinha, and Joao Felix will all be rested.
According to ESPN (via GOAL), Ronaldo was left out to get some rest while on holiday with his family in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Pro League superstar is on a hiatus for international matches, but prior to this, the Portugal legend played nearly every minute since the start of the season.
He has racked up a little over 3,000 minutes this season, across 33 games. His abilities in the final third have hardly dwindled, as Ronaldo has scored 30 goals and provided 11 assists.
While he will be rested for Portugal's friendly against Sweden, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to play against Slovenia on March 26. The forward remains an important member of the Selecao squad, particularly with the Euros approaching and Portugal looking to be a contender.
Cristiano Ronaldo enjoys beach day with his kids
Cristiano Ronaldo is on a short vacation, enjoying time with his family. In a video that he uploaded on Instagram, captioned "Close to heaven", he can be seen strolling down the beach with his four kids.
Ronaldo's club Al-Nassr have had their ups and downs prior to this family excursion. The Saudi Arabian giants have been struggling with a winless streak, having drawn or lost matches since their last win against Al-Shabab on February 25. However, they seem to have snapped out of that lull, thanks to a penalty goal from Ronaldo, as he led them to beat Al-Ahli 1-0 on March 15.
On March 11, Al-Ain eliminated them from the AFC Champions League quarterfinal, a competition they were strong contenders for. The first leg against Al Ain saw them lose 1-0, and while they did win the second leg 4-3 in front of their fans, the game went to penalties. Al Ain were the more clinical side from 12 yards, as they scored three penalties, while Al-Nassr scored just one.
