Cristiano continues to be excused from international duty
The Juventus striker reached an agreement with the national team coach Fernando Santos to sit out Portugal's games in September, October and November.
Cristiano Ronaldo will play no part in Portugal's next games, against Italy and Poland. The Juventus star reached an agreement with national team coach Fernando Santos to sit out Portugal's games in September, October and November with the understanding that the three-month period is a good opportunity for the coach to take a look at new players coming through. It also suits the player, as it's a good time for him to get some rest. He will be needed when Portugal begin their campaign for Euro 2020.
Cristiano has made it clear that this situation doesn't not affect his commitment to the national team in any way. During the past three months he has also been dealing with issues off the field of play - including an allegation of rape and that case remains open. Fernando Santos said: "I know Cristiano well and I don't believe that he could have committed an offence of that kind" before going on to add that the player's absence was agreed "after a three-way conversation. We agreed that the player could be excused from international duty up until November. I'm not going to go into detail, it simply that after discussing it we decided not to call up Cristiano Ronaldo this time".
Good results without Cristiano
In spite of being without their star player, Portugal haven't done so badly at all. They are unbeaten in four games having scored win against Italy, Poland and Scotland and drawn against Croatia.
