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Fans have reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo's absence in Portugal's starting lineup for their friendly with Finland on Tuesday (June 4). The 39-year-old is coming off a fabulous club season.
In 45 games across competitions, Ronaldo scored an impressive 50 times. That includes 35 strikes in the Saudi Pro League, a record haul in a single season in the competition.
However, in the first of two friendlies before their Euro 2024 campaign later this month, Portugal start without Ronaldo, which hasn't enthused fans, with one tweeting:
"Let's see if they can do it without their main man"
Another chimed in:
"No Ronaldo, we ain't watching."
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Similar reactions followed, with Zarar Khan tweeting:
"Missing Ronaldo"
Utd Anold wrote:
"A starting XI without Ronaldo should not be shared on X platform"
Emi Bolu sighed:
"My GOAT isn't playing sigh"
Following their clash with Iceland at the Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Roberto Martinez's side take on Croatia three days later at the Centro Desportivo Nacional do Jamor.
How Cristiano Ronaldo has fared for Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo is a bonafide Portugal legend, having amassed record tallies of 128 goals in 206 games across competitions, the most in men's international football.
Having made his international debut in a 1-0 friendly win over Kazakhstan in August 2003, Ronaldo is still going strong after more than two decades since his first game.
He's coming off a superb Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, registering 10 goals and two assists in nine games as Portugal went perfect across 10 games. He's now chasing a multitude of records at the upcoming European Championship in Germany later this month.
Ronaldo is looking to become the oldest outfielder to appear in the competition, the oldest to score in the finals and the first to play a staggering six editions of the Euros, with nobody else playing more than four.
It's pertinent to note that his next goal in the competition will make him the first player to score in six different European championships, having done so in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2021. For context, nobody else has scored in more than three different editions of the Euros.
