UNO News Net: Cristiano Ronaldo shows off black eye as he skips Portugal duty to train with Juventus in a bid to improve his fitness

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo shows off black eye as he skips Portugal duty to train with Juventus in a bid to improve his fitness

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo took part in Juventus training on Wednesday
He had decided not to link up with his country for games with Croatia and Italy
Ronaldo's decision was motivated by his desire to get fit after a testing summer
Former Real Madrid star sported a black eye picked up in a 2-1 win over Parma

Published: 10:22 EDT, 5 September 2018 | Updated: 11:45 EDT, 5 September 2018

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Cristiano Ronaldo was nursing a black eye on Wednesday as he trained at Juventus HQ in Turin.

The former Real Madrid star, who took a painful blow to his face during last weekend's 2-1 win at Parma, opted to skip Portugal duty this month in a bid to work on his fitness after missing much of pre-season.

While his international team-mates geared up for games against Croatia and Italy, Ronaldo was put through his paces alongside Sami Khedira, who was left out of the recent Germany squad after a disappointing World Cup.

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Cristiano Ronaldo trained with Juventus on Wednesday after skipping international duty

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The former Real Madrid star sported a black eye picked up in the weekend win over Parma

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Ronaldo opted against joining up with his country in a bid to get fully fit after a tough summer

Portugal boss Fernando Santos explained Ronaldo's absence last week.

He said: 'After talking to the player, and after he moved to Juventus with all the processes of adaptation that entails, we understand it was best for him to not be present for these games.'

Thursday's clash with Croatia is a friendly, but Monday's meeting with Italy is Portugal's opening fixture in the UEFA Nations League.

Ronaldo's absence from the international scene is expected to be short-lived.

He will likely be keen to return for October's game against Scotland to resume his quest to become the most prolific goalscorer in international football history.

Ronaldo has scored more international goals than any other European player, but his current haul of 85 leaves him 24 short of the tally posted by Iran legend Ali Daei between 1993 and 2006.