Cristiano Ronaldo set to be snubbed as Portugal's poster boy in 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar; Liverpool and Manchester United stars in running - Reports
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to be snubbed by Portugal as the team's poster boy for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, according to ESPN (via DNA India). Instead, the Selecao are set to pick between one of Ronaldo's Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes and Liverpool attacker Diogo Jota.
The forward has been Portugal's main man for more than a decade now. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is international football's record goalscorer, having netted 117 goals from 191 caps for Portugal.
However, it seems like the Manchester United number 7 will not be seen as his country's poster boy at the World Cup.
According to the aforementioned source, each nation competing at the 2022 World Cup has to choose one player. That player will get featured on a massive 75-foot billboard in Doha. However, it is highly likely that the Portugal captain will not be the one whose face is plastered all over the Qatari capital.
Cristiano Ronaldo 'will not be Portugal's poster boy at the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar'... and Messi could miss out too trib.al/mY2AyoI
With this, Portugal might have accepted the fact that the 37-year-old might not be sticking around for long.
It is also worth noting that the 2022 FIFA World Cup is most likely going to be Ronaldo's final appearance at the tournament for his national side.
He, however, might not be the only global superstar to not feature as his nation's poster boy.
Argentina are yet to announce their poster boy for the World Cup. According to the Daily Mail, Lionel Messi is also in danger of missing out on being his country's face for the showpiece tournament.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is set to commence on November 20. The first game of the tournament will be contested between the hosts Qatar and Ecuador in a Group A clash.
Cristiano Ronaldo's recent form for club and country has been disappointing
The forward's recent form for both Portugal and Manchester United has been underwhelming to say the least. The Portuguese skipper has found it difficult to break into United's starting XI this season.
Ronaldo has scored just once in eight appearances in all competitions this season. He scored a penalty in the UEFA Europa League against Sheriff Tiraspol earlier this month.
Cristiano Ronaldo's sister was not pleased with the criticism her brother received over the international break 😳 https://t.co/ImIO6Uhnap
He failed to find the back of the net for Portugal in the recently-concluded international break as well. He did provide an assist in the Selecao's 4-0 win over the Czech Republic but that was his only goal contribution.