Cristiano Ronaldo's Injury Sidelines Him from Crucial International Friendlies

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of the national squad for friendly matches against Mexico and the United States due to a hamstring injury, according to announcements from both the Portuguese Football Federation and his club Al Nassr. The 41-year-old forward will not travel with the team to the U.S., meaning he will have to wait until this summer's World Cup to once again play on American soil.

Injury Details and Recovery Timeline

Al Nassr head coach Jorge Jesus revealed earlier this month that Ronaldo had traveled to Spain to undergo treatment for the hamstring injury. The veteran forward sustained the injury against Al Fayha and subsequently missed Al Nassr's Saudi Pro League wins over Neom and Al Khaleej. According to Jesus, it became clear that Ronaldo needed "rest and treatment" for proper recovery.

The injury also affected Ronaldo's club commitments, as Al Nassr's scheduled match against Al Wasl of the United Arab Emirates in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two was postponed due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Impact on USMNT Match and Ticket Market

The USMNT match against Portugal would have ended Ronaldo's almost 12-year absence from playing in the United States. He has not played a soccer game on American soil since August 2, 2014, when he came on as a substitute for Real Madrid against Manchester United in front of a crowd of 109,318 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

From a commercial perspective, the U.S. Soccer Federation had been getting close to a sell-out for the match against Portugal, with Ronaldo's presence being an obvious appeal. Ticket resale markets are expected to fluctuate in response to the news of his absence. On Ticketmaster, resale tickets were available for around $70 in the uppermost tiers and over $300 closer to the field.

Historical Context and Future Appearances

Ronaldo, who is the most capped international men's player ever with 226 senior appearances, has been Portugal's captain since 2008 and is the nation's all-time leading scorer with 143 goals, also a men's record.

The veteran forward had not been publicly photographed in the U.S. since 2017 when the German newspaper Der Spiegel revealed details of an alleged sexual assault involving Ronaldo and model Kathryn Mayorga during a holiday in Las Vegas in 2009 — always strenuously denied by Ronaldo and for which charges have never been brought. This changed in November when Ronaldo visited President Trump's White House on a day when Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in the Oval Office.

World Cup Implications

Portugal are scheduled to face either New Caledonia, Jamaica or DR Congo in their opening game of the tournament at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on June 17. Ronaldo's side will also face Uzbekistan and Colombia in Group K.

Ronaldo had appeared set to miss the first two games of the tournament after being sent off in Portugal's penultimate qualifier against the Republic of Ireland, though the final two games of his three-match ban were suspended for "a one-year probation period" by FIFA's Disciplinary Committee.

Portugal's Squad Despite Key Absences

Despite Ronaldo's absence, Portugal's squad still features significant star power, including Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Paris Saint-Germain's European champions Vitinha, Joao Neves and Nuno Mendes. Other notable absentees include the Manchester City pair Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva.

The USMNT would still expect a strong soccer market in Atlanta, where it has chosen to build a training base, to turn out in healthy numbers for two games against leading European nations less than 90 days out from a home World Cup. Tickets for this game, while not 'cheap', are much more affordable than FIFA's pricing for the World Cup, so some of those who have been unable or unwilling to get tickets for the summer tournament will likely still be happy to attend this game.