Tag: Portugal

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Ronaldo rejects offers to play at Club World Cup

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo says he will not play at this month’s Club World Cup after turning down offers from participating teams.

The 40-year-old is out of contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr at the end of June.

In May, Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved at the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr’s failure to qualify.

“I will not be at the Club World Cup,” said Ronaldo.

“Some teams reached out to me. Some made sense and others did not, but you can’t try and do everything. You can’t catch every ball.”

Ronaldo posted on social media that “the chapter is over” following Al-Nassr’s final league game of the season in May, leading to speculation he was set for a move.

However, sources have told BBC Sport that the club are confident of extending Ronaldo’s deal.

Speaking before Portugal’s Nations League final against Spain on Sunday (20:00 BST), Ronaldo said a decision on his future was “almost final”.

The striker joined Al-Nassr in 2023 after the termination of his deal with Manchester United.

He has scored 99 goals in 111 appearances for the club, including 35 times in 41 matches last term.

Ronaldo scored the winner in a 2-1 victory against Germany on Wednesday to book Portugal’s spot in the Nations League final. (BBC)

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Nations League: Yamal shines as Spain edge France in nine-goal thriller

Spain booked their place in the UEFA Nations League final with a dramatic 5-4 victory over France on Thursday in Stuttgart, setting up a clash with Portugal, who defeated Germany 2-1 a day earlier.

The Spaniards raced into an early lead with goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Merino in the 22nd and 25th minutes respectively, both assisted by Mikel Oyarzabal.

The momentum remained with Spain as 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal converted from the penalty spot in the 54th minute to make it 3-0.

Just a minute later, Pedri added a fourth goal after another fine move involving Williams, putting Spain in complete control of the semi-final.

Although Kylian Mbappé reduced the deficit with a penalty in the 59th minute, Yamal responded almost immediately with his second of the night in the 67th minute to restore Spain’s four-goal advantage at 5-1.

France, however, mounted a fierce late comeback. Rayan Cherki struck in the 79th minute, followed by an own goal from Dani Vivian in the 84th.

Substitute Randal Kolo Muani added a fourth in stoppage time, assisted by Cherki, but it proved too little too late for Didier Deschamps’ side.

Meanwhile, in Munich on Wednesday, Portugal came from behind to defeat Germany 2-1. Florian Wirtz opened the scoring for the hosts in the 48th minute, but Francisco Conceicao levelled for Portugal in the 63rd before Cristiano Ronaldo secured the win five minutes later with a decisive goal in the 68th.

Following their respective victories, Portugal and Spain will meet in the final on Sunday at the Allianz Arena in Munich by 1900 GMT, while Germany will face France in the third-place play-off at the MHPArena in Stuttgart by 1300 GMT. (Punch)