Portugal wants in-doubt Ronaldo with WCup squad

Published Nov. 10, 2009 10:32 a.m. ET

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The Portuguese Football Federation wants Cristiano Ronaldo to join the national squad despite Real Madrid's protests that he is injured. The federation said in a statement that players from Spanish clubs must travel to Portugal on Wednesday, after Spain's midweek Copa del Rey matches. Those players will undergo medical tests to determine whether they are fit to play in Portugal's two-leg World Cup playoff games against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday and Nov. 18. Though the statement late Monday didn't specifically refer to Ronaldo, it appeared to be a response to pressure from Real Madrid, which insists the world's most expensive player is still recovering from an ankle injury and is unavailable.