Portugal's star Cristiano Ronaldo is fit and ready to play in the Euro 2020 qualifying matches, coach Fernando Santos told journalists. During the press conference ahead of Portugal’s match against Lithuania, Fernando Santos was inundated with questions whether the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would step on the pitch. Santos brushed off any concerns and said: "If he wasn't fit we wouldn't have called him up. He is fit and he's going to play".
At one point during the press conference, Santos, who led Portugal to gold medals in Euro 2016, became so irritated with the questions about Ronaldo that he said: "This conference is not about Cristiano Ronaldo, it's about Portugal and the game with Lithuania".
Juventus fans were left confused after the team’s coach Maurizio Sarri replaced the 34-year-old in a game against AC Milan, the second time in a row, with Paolo Dybala, who then went on to score the winning goal. The substitute against Milan came four days after Ronaldo was replaced in a Champions League match against Lokomotiv Moscow, which Juve won 2-1.
After the last game, rumours emerged that Ronaldo doesn’t get along with Sarri, as he furiously left the pitch and the stadium before the game had finished. Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the star’s behaviour didn’t go down well with Juve’s bosses, who reportedly planned to meet Ronaldo and warn him against such actions in the future.
Commenting on his decision to replace the GOAT, or greatest of all time, Sarri said that Ronaldo had a small knee injury and had also experienced thigh and calf muscle problems.
Ronaldo’s appearance in the match against Lithuania and Luxembourg is crucial for the national team. With two games left, Portugal is ranked second in Group B with 11 points, but Serbia is catching up with 10 points.