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Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo‘s bid to score 100 goals for his country has been put on hold after he was ruled out of the UEFA Nations League match against Croatia on Saturday.
The Juventus forward was absent from training with the Portugal squad on Thursday with a toe injury and was left out of the matchday squad on Saturday.
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“He had been training well, then suddenly on Wednesday one of his toes was red, as if he’d been stung by a bee,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos told a news conference.
“Now we have to wait. With an infection, you don’t know how long the recovery is going to take.”
Ronaldo, 35, is looking to become the second player in history to break the century barrier on the international stage but remains on 99 goals.
Ali Daei, the former Iran striker, holds the world record with 109 goals and Ronaldo has been unable to add to his tally this year due to the coronavirus pandemic disrupting the international fixture calendar.
European champions Portugal, who won the inaugural Nations League tournament in June 2019, will play their first game of the year against Croatia at Estadio do Dragao.
Ronaldo could return to action against Sweden in Stockholm on Tuesday.