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Real Madrid's Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out on Tuesday of his country's crucial World Cup playoff matches after undergoing medical tests on a troublesome ankle injury.

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz had insisted he intended to call up the world's most expensive player for the matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Nov 14 and 18 despite opposition from Real. But in the end the Portuguese Football Federation admitted Ronaldo would not be fit enough.

"The player is not in good enough physical condition to train with the squad ahead of the playoffs," the federation said.

Both Portugal - World Cup semifinalists in 2006 - and Real had been locked in a battle over Ronaldo with the club insisting he was not fit enough to travel.

Real Madrid doctors last week estimated Ronaldo would be out of action for at least two more weeks as he recovers from an ankle injury.

Ronaldo said he was disappointed not to be able to play.

"It's really frustrating not to be able to help Portugal, particularly at such a key moment like the playoff against Bosnia," he said.

But the Portuguese captain promised to return to Lisbon on Saturday for the match.

"I'll go to the stadium to support my teammates. I'm sure that the quality of our football will surmount everything and afterwards I'll be in the locker-room to celebrate the first of two steps towards the World Cup."

Ronaldo initially injured his right ankle in Real's 3-0 Champions League victory over Marseille at the end of September. He aggravated the problem while playing for Portugal on Oct 10.

"It's impossible for Ronaldo to play with Portugal," Real coach Manuel Pellegrini said on Friday. "I feel sorry for the Portugal squad and for the player, but he hasn't trained for a long time now and he is still in pain."

Questions:

1. Who is Portugal playing on Nov 14?

2. What city will Ronaldo be going to on Saturday?

3. When and during which game did Ronaldo initially injure his right ankle?

Answers:

1. Bosnia-Herzegovina.

2. Lisbon.

3. In Real’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Marseille at the end of September.

（英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.