Unwell Cristiano Ronaldo misses training, warm-up game

Lisbon, November 17

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Cristiano Ronaldo missed a training session with Portugal because of a stomach bug that will rule him out of a World Cup warm-up match against Nigeria, the team said.

Portugal are scheduled to play against Nigeria before flying to Qatar, and coach Fernando Santos said Ronaldo will not feature in the game.

Ronaldo’s build-up to the World Cup has been fraught following the release of excerpts of a TV interview in which the soccer great said he feels “betrayed” by Manchester United and does not respect manager Erik ten Hag.

With love, from Australia

Melbourne: A-League boss Danny Townsend has made a bid to lure Ronaldo to the Australian top flight, while admitting it might not be able to compete financially with rival offers for the disaffected Manchester United star.

Townsend told Australian media today that he had made an offer to Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, in case Ronaldo parts ways with United. “(Ronaldo) said he wasn’t getting any love and respect at Manchester United but we’ll certainly give him plenty of love and respect in Australia,” Townsend said.

“We might not be able to compete financially with other offers but we can compete in other ways.”

Ronaldo’s former United teammate Nani joined A-League club Melbourne Victory this season. “Obviously it’s a long shot but we’ve certainly got a compelling proposition for him here in Australia to consider,” Townsend added. — Agencies