In what has been a miserable international break for Cristiano Ronaldo, it appears Portugal's all-time leading goalscorer is facing calls to be dropped from the national team's starting XI.
Alves Reveals Scuffle With Ronaldo At Ballon d'Or Awards
Following a difficult first few weeks of the 2022/23 season with Manchester United, the 37-year-old might have hoped to rediscover his form during the international break over the past week.
Ronaldo, however, was unable to score in Portugal's 4-0 win over Czech Republic and their 1-0 defeat to Spain, meaning he has hit the back of the net just once for club and country since the new campaign got underway.
Ahead of the 2016 UEFA European Championship winners' fixture against Luis Enrique's Spain on Tuesday night, the game's leading international goalscorer in history faced scrutiny from various publications in his own country amid his poor form.
One of Portugal's largest publications, A Bola, ran a headline titled Menos Ronaldo, mais Portugal, which translates to 'Less Ronaldo, more Portugal'.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was the subject of further scrutiny following his performance against La Furia Roja, during which he squandered a number of good chances before Alvaro Morata clinched all three points for the away team in the 88th minute.
As a result, Spain progressed to the final four of the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League at the expense of Portugal, who won the title in the year of the tournament's inception in 2019.
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