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Ronaldo picked in Portugal squad for WC playoff
Associated Press
WC Qualifying Playoffs
Queiroz had said Ronaldo would be picked despite needing two more weeks rest, claiming the winger could be important even if he only played for a few minutes.
Ronaldo was hurt while playing for Madrid on Sept. 30. He aggravated his right ankle injury when playing for Portugal on Oct. 10, coming off in the 27th minute of the 3-0 win over Hungary.
Earlier Sunday, Madrid director Jorge Valdano said it would be a "serious mistake" if Portugal selected his team's record €94 million ($131 million) offseason signing.
"You have to remember that he re-injured himself going to play for Portugal," Valdano said. "An excess of commitment (by Ronaldo) has put us in this situation. It would be a serious mistake to repeat the same errors."
Ronaldo was initially expected to miss up to four weeks before being injured again. He has visited Dr. Niek van Dijk, who operated on the same ankle in 2008 and said Ronaldo needed to rest for another two weeks.
"Cristiano Ronaldo's case is a medical one. It's a serious problem that we're trying different medical treatments on," Valdano told Spanish TV. "We would also have liked to have counted on him (Saturday night). We don't want it to develop into anything worse."
Queiroz made several changes to his squad, calling up Chelsea backup goalkeeper Hilario, Benfica midfielder Fabio Coentrao, defenders Miguel Brito and Ricardo Costa and forward Hugo Almeida.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Hilario (Chelsea), Eduardo (FC Braga), Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon).
Defenders: Ricardo Costa (Wolfsburg), Bruno Alves (FC Porto), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Miguel Brito (Valencia), Pepe (Real Madrid), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Rolando (FC Porto).
Midfielders: Deco (Chelsea), Joao Moutinho (Sporting Lisbon), Raul Meireles (FC Porto), Duda (Malaga), Tiago (Juventus), Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon), Fabio Coentrao (Benfica).
Forwards: Nani (Manchester United), Simao Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), Edinho (Malaga), Liedson (Sporting Lisbon).
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