Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has been all over the news recently after he gave an explosive interview, in which he slammed Manchester United and its coach Erik ten Hag for ‘betraying’ him.

While Ronaldo has barely featured for the Red Devils this season, he has been nothing short of an icon for his national side and this year is expected to be no different.
While Portugal’s World Cup campaign will officially begin against Ghana on November 24, they will also play an international friendly against Nigeria on Thursday.

This clash will take place at the Estádio José Alvalade and will begin live at 12:15 AM IST on Friday, November 18. Ahead of what promises to be an exciting clash featuring one of the best teams in the world, here is a look at whether Cristiano Ronaldo will play or not, having been ruled out of Manchester United’s last game due to an illness.

Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing against Nigeria?
Portugal coach Fernando Santos has confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature in the upcoming friendly against Nigeria as he is currently recovering from a stomach problem, an issue that also resulted in him missing training on Wednesday.

“He (Ronaldo) is in his room resting and recovering. He won’t practice and won’t be ready for tomorrow’s game either,” explained Santos.

While Santos has confirmed that Ronaldo will not be available for Portugal vs Nigeria clash, he also commented upon the impact the 37-year-old’s explosive interview may have had on the rest of the team.

Speaking of the same, Santos said, “The only thing we talk about is the preparation for Qatar. It (the interview) does not affect us at all.”

When asked about the Portuguese international’s remarks, in particular, Santos explained, “The player decided to give an interview as many others have. It’s a personal interview, was very personal actually, and we have to respect that. Isn’t Cristiano Ronaldo a free man?… It was his decision and we have to understand and respect it.”