Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for 30 days by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) for leaving the national team camp on September 30. The sanction, the minimum allowed for such an offence, took effect on October 1 and has been partially served, clearing the forward to return for the final two Nations League group stage matches. The team, meanwhile, has maintained its winning form with four wins from four matches, the most recent of which was a 2-1 victory over Norway on October 4.

The FPF's disciplinary committee considered the remorse shown by Ronaldo in a public statement on October 6, where he admitted his mistake and stated he would accept any punishment. In addition to the ban, the 41-year-old was fined 255 euros. "I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team," Ronaldo posted on social media, reaffirming his commitment.

In the absence of their captain and all-time top scorer, Portugal maintained a perfect record, winning all four group matches and securing quarter-final qualification with two games to spare. Jorge Jesus's side beat Wales 1-0, Norway 2-1 away, Denmark 4-2 away, and then Norway again 2-1 at home, with Gonçalo Ramos scoring the 79th-minute winner. This winning streak puts A Selecção top of Nations League Group A4 with twelve points. Their recent form reads four wins and zero draws from the last four games, with victories over Wales (1-0), Norway (1-2), Denmark (2-4), and Norway again (2-1).

Return scheduled for November

With 19 days of the suspension already served, Ronaldo will complete the ban by the end of October. This means he will be eligible for the team's next fixture, the home match against Denmark at the Estádio do Dragão on November 14, and the trip to Wales three days later. This will be a rematch with Denmark, following Portugal's 4-2 win in Denmark on October 1. These will be the final group games before the competition's knockout playoffs, and the experienced forward's return comes as the team has already secured top spot.

The incident leading to the suspension occurred after the Norway match, with Ronaldo alleging that manager Jorge Jesus did not honour a verbal agreement about his playing time. The player is now preparing for his comeback, having shared an image from Al Nassr training with the caption "Putting in the work".

This story first appeared at VnExpress International Sports