Cristiano Ronaldo to Miss Portugal’s Euro 2016 Qualifier; Paulo Bento Says Real Madrid Star Not Fit to Play

By Paul John Rivera First Posted: Aug 30, 2014 03:14 PM EDT

Cristiano Ronaldo will not play in Portugal's Euro 2016 qualifying match against Albania on Sept. 7 as coach Paulo Bento decided not to include the star forward in his 24-man squad.

Bento said in a news conference on Friday that Ronaldo is not fit enough to compete against Albania, despite playing for Real Madrid over the past several weeks.

"Regardless of whether he has been playing more or less regularly, at the moment he can't play," Bento said via USA Today.

The 29-year-old superstar was slowed down by a left-leg injury before the end of the 2013-14 La Liga season. The same injury affected Ronaldo's performance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup where Portugal suffered a first-round exit.

Ronaldo also saw limited practice time during his club's preseason training camp. He played 90 minutes in Real Madrid's Supercup victory against Sevilla earlier this month, but was forced to miss the second half of the first leg of their Spanish Supercopa tie with Atletico Madrid.

Ronaldo, who was recently win the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, then played for the entire second leg and also completed Real Madrid's La Liga debut against Cordoba on Monday where he scored a goal that sealed their 2-0 win.

However, Bento felt that sitting out their team captain for the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifier was the right decision, based on the recommendation from the team's medical staff.

Nani and William Carvalho headline the 24-man squad, while uncapped players Valencia's Ruben Vezo and Andre Gomes, Deportivo La Coruna's Ivan Cavaleiro and Malaga Ricardo Horta was also named for the qualifier.

Portugal's 24-man lineup for their upcoming Euro 2016 qualifier tie against Albania is listed below: