Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been ruled out of his country’s friendly match against Gabon this week, the Portuguese football federation (FPF) said on Monday.
The Real Madrid forward was substituted at half-time during the Spanish champions’ victory over Levante on Sunday after suffering a gash to the head from a stray elbow. He had previously scored the opening goal in the match, which finished 2-1.
The FPF also said that Maritimo full-back Ruben Ferreira and Braga midfielder Hugo Viana would replace Valencia’s Joao Pereira and Dynamo Kiev’s Miguel Veloso, who were both considered “unfit” for Wednesday’s tie in Libreville.
Ronaldo’s absence is another blow for coach Paolo Bento, who goes into the match without a number of players, including Manchester United winger Nani, Fenerbahce midfielder Raul Meireles and Real Madrid defender Fabio Coentrao.
Ronaldo out of Portugal-Gabon friendly
