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Cristiano Ronaldo will not travel to Geneva for Portugal's fourth group stage fixture in the UEFA Nations League against Switzerland on Sunday, Fernando Santos has confirmed.
Speaking at a press conference in Lisbon (via Manchester Evening News), Santos said that the decision to leave the five-time Ballon d'Or winner out of the squad was taken purely on management grounds. He also confirmed that the 37-year did not pick up any injuries.
Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Joao Moutinho and Borussia Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro were also left out of the final 23-man squad for the clash against Switzerland by the Portugal head coach. He said at a press conference (via MEN):
"There are no physical problems. It is normal management. It wouldn't make sense to have 26 players traveling if we can only play 23. It fell to these players to miss out, that's all."
Portugal sit comfortably at the top of the Group B standings in the Nations League with a two-point lead over Iberian rivals Spain. They can afford to take to the pitch without Ronaldo, who bagged a brace in the reverse fixture last Sunday.
Despite the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's elite fitness levels, it would be wise for the player to not exert himself.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains a key part of the Portugal squad but others are stepping up
Cristiano Ronaldo turned 37 in February but his goalscoring output for the national team continues to impress. He had featured in all three Nations League games in the June international break thus far.
The Portuguese made an appearance from the bench against Spain but was included in the starting XI against Switzerland and the Czech Republic. He bagged a four-minute brace against Switzerland but did not make much of an impact in the other two games.
Portugal have scored seven goals in the competition in three games, with Ronaldo contributing to two of them. So while he remains a key player for the side in attack, his teammates are also stepping up to take some of the goalscoring burdens off of him.
Manchester City's Bernardo Silva has three assists to his name while his teammate Joao Cancelo has found the back of the net twice while also providing an assist.
Cristiano Ronaldo was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the fifth time in his illustrious career, a good note for the Portuguese to finish the 2021-22 season on.
