LISBON- Portugal again left out Cristiano Ronaldo, their all-time record scorer and most capped player, as coach Fernando Santos named the squad for this month's Nations League matches on Thursday.
Santos previously omitted Ronaldo from the squad in September and October, saying the decision was taken by mutual consent as the 33-year-old was still adapting following his move from Real Madrid to Juventus.
"The only thing I will say about Ronaldo is that I hope he wins the Ballon d'Or award," said Santos, referring to France Football magazine's annual player of the year award.
"It's not just about Ronaldo, I have said that nobody is excluded," said Santos. "It's not worth creating a big fuss about it."
(Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
