Real Madrid have refused Portugal permission to call-up Cristiano Ronaldo for the crucial World Cup play-off matches against Bosnia.
The winger injured his ankle at the end of September in the UEFA Champions League match against Marseille but still started for Portugal just over 10 days later in their must-win qualifier against Hungary.
The former Manchester United star lasted less than half an hour of the clash after aggravating the injury leaving him sidelined for three weeks.
However, Ronaldo is yet to return for the Spanish giants after still complaining of pain in the ankle. The Portuguese ace even visited the specialist who operated on his ankle while at Old Trafford in Holland to see if the recovery process can be sped up.
Real believe the 24-year-old will be out for a further two weeks, therefore certainly ruling him out of the first leg on November 14th and possibly the return fixture four days later but Portugal boss Carlos Queiroz is desperate to call on his main man.
"A combination of doctors' orders and common sense mean that Cristiano won't be travelling to Portugal," Real sporting director Jorge Valdano told Spanish radio.
While Los Blancos chief Manuel Pellegrini continued: "It's impossible for Ronaldo to play with Portugal.
"I feel sorry for the Portugal squad and for the player, but he hasn't trained for a long time now and he is still in pain."
Despite the comments Queiroz remains hopeful when he said to Correio da Manha : "From now until Sunday a lot of things can transpire, Ronaldo as with other players."
Under Fifa guidelines Ronaldo would have to report for international duty should he receive a call-up but it looks increasingly likely that the World Player of the Year will miss out.
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