Cristiano Ronaldo is going through one of the most difficult and unusual periods of his professional career. His hamstring injury has kept him off the field for the past two weeks, and his upcoming matches with Al Nassr and the Portuguese national team are in jeopardy.
He missed the matches against NEOM SC and Al-Khaleej, where fortunately the team secured important victories by scores of 1-0 and 0-5, respectively, but he is doubtful for Portugal’s final two matches before the World Cup, and this could have a major economic impact.
Portugal would lose a lucrative bonus without CR7
Cristiano is currently in Spain, having traveled to Madrid to treat his hamstring injury following Al Nassr’s last match against AlFayha (3-1), where he had to be substituted.
According to various reports, his recovery time is expected to be between three and four weeks, so it is estimated that he could return to the field around April 3, directly for the match against Al-Najma SC.
As a result, the 41-year-old Portuguese player’s injury could force him to miss the match against Mexico on March 28 at Estadio Banorte and the match against the USMNT on March 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the only matches with his national team before what will be his sixth and final World Cup.
This double absence would not only pose a problem for Portugal’s coach-who won’t be able to conduct final tests with his captain on the field-and for the Portuguese star-who won’t have time to prepare for soccer’s biggest event-but the economic factor also comes into play.
The fact is that if Cristiano does not play in the matches against the U.S. and Mexico, the Portuguese federation would risk losing 20 percent of a bonus worth around one million euros, according to the sports outlet ‘Correio da Manhã,’ via Record.
Personally, the injury also temporarily halts his quest to reach 1,000 official career goals, leaving the tally at 965.
With 88 days to go before the World Cup kicks off, only time will tell when we’ll see the Portuguese star back on the field.
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