Cristiano Ronaldo has been reportedly sent home from Portugal’s national team camp following a forgettable night in Dublin which saw him handed his first-ever international red card.
The five-time Ballon D’or winner was given his marching orders for an elbow on Dara O’Shea during his team’s shock 2-0 World Cup qualifiers loss against Ireland on Thursday.
Since straight red cards in international football usually carry a two-match ban, it means Ronaldo could miss the first game of what is sure to be his last-ever World Cup.
However, Roberto Martinez’s men have not yet qualified for next year’s tournament in North America – and still need a win against Armenia on Sunday to secure their place.
But according to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be hanging around to cheer his teammates on for the crucial game at the Estádio do Dragão because he has been ‘released from the national team’.
Meanwhile, if Portugal draw and Hungary beat Ireland by more than three goals, they face needing to go through the tedious route of qualifying through a playoff.
The Portuguese superstar is now expected to return to Saudi Arabia, where he will hope for a much better performance for his club Al-Nassr when they face league strugglers Al-Khaleej on Nov. 23.
