Ronaldo hits the gym after missing out on Portugal squad

Cristiano Ronaldo shared pictures of himself in the gym on his Instagram page after missing out on a call-up to the Portugal national team.

The legendary forward has been omitted from Portugal’s squad for their upcoming friendlies against World Cup hosts Mexico and the United States as he focuses on recovering from injury.

Portugal’s captain suffered a hamstring injury during Al Nassr’s 3-1 win over Al Fayha in the Saudi Pro League on 28 February, with the club later announcing he would be out for between two and four weeks.

Ronaldo, who has spent the past two weeks receiving treatment in Madrid, appeared in high spirits despite missing out on a Portugal call-up, sharing two photos of him training in the gym to his 672 million followers on Instagram.

Portugal will kick off their World Cup campaign in Houston on 17 June, facing the winner of this month’s play-off tournament.

The country’s head coach Roberto Martinez reassured fans that Ronaldo remains on track for what would be a record sixth World Cup appearance.

“No, he’s not at risk,” Martinez said after being asked about Ronaldo after announcing his 27-man squad on Friday. “It’s a minor muscle injury, and we expect him to be back within a week or two.

“Everything Cristiano has done physically this season proves he’s in excellent shape.”

Ronaldo’s absence from the squad perhaps made room for Real Sociedad attacker Goncalo Guedes, who returns to the squad having not featured for the national team since 2022.

"Guedes is a versatile player," Martinez said. "He has scored nine goals this season and is in excellent form.

"He's a game-changing striker, a player who is of great interest to us. I've already said that for the World Cup, the center forward position belongs to Cristiano and Goncalo Ramos, and we're looking for a striker with a different profile.

"And he's in a form that deserves a call-up. We're very excited about what he could bring to the national team in these friendlies."