In Malmö, with Portugal’s Nations League camp gathered in southern Sweden, Cristiano Ronaldo has become the focus of a selection debate before the visit of Denmark. The 41-year-old captain remains part of Jorge Jesus’s squad and has trained as usual, but a public vote placed him outside the preferred starting side.
Portugal supporters leave Ronaldo among the substitutes
Fans were invited to select their Portugal XI, position by position, for the third-round Nations League match against Denmark. Ronaldo, the national team’s all-time leading scorer and captain, did not make the side chosen by voters.
The result follows a similar pattern in earlier supporter selections for Portugal’s Nations League fixtures, when the number seven was also omitted from the proposed starting teams.
The XI selected by the public was:
- Goalkeeper: Diogo Costa
- Defenders: João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Renato Veiga and Nuno Mendes
- Midfielders: Palhinha, João Neves and Vitinha
- Forwards: Pedro Neto, Gonçalo Ramos and João Félix
The poll does not determine Portugal’s official team. Jesus has not yet announced his line-up for Denmark.
A conversation after the Norway match
- Portugal defeated Norway in their previous Nations League outing.
- Ronaldo stayed on the bench throughout the full 90 minutes and showed frustration at not being used.
- On Tuesday evening, Ronaldo and Jesus met at Portugal’s team hotel in Malmö.
- The forward has continued to take part normally in preparations for the Denmark fixture.
The meeting comes as the coach weighs his choices for the next match, with the supporters’ vote suggesting approval for the decision to leave Portugal’s most celebrated forward out of the previous game.
