Ronaldo won't feature at Olympic Games

Whispers of a potential clash with Lionel Messi emerged after the Real Madrid star's country were drawn with Argentina but neither player will travel to Rio de Janeiro.

 Cristiano Ronaldo has ruled himself out of contention to feature for Portugal at the Olympic Games in the summer, Goal can reveal.



The draw for the tournament in Brazil, which kicks off on August 4, took place on Thursday, with Portugal joining Algeria, Honduras and Argentina in Group D.
Sources close to Ronaldo have told Goal that the Real Madrid star will not be available for selection, however, with participating nations able to select three players over the age of 23 as part of their squads for the competition.

The prospect of Portugal's meeting with Argentina had sparked speculation of a clash between Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the Games but Messi has already been ruled out by coach Gerardo Martino.

Like Messi, who will play at the Copa America, Ronaldo will represent his country in one major competition this summer - the European Championship in France. Given the 31-year-old has played 50 games for Madrid in four of his last five seasons and is likely to do so again by the end of the current campaign, adding another tournament to his schedule has been deemed unrealistic.
Last week, Barcelona communicated to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) that Neymar would be available for only one tournament this summer.
That decision effectively ruled him out of the Copa America as Neymar has indicated he would prefer to play for his country on home soil at the Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The CBF, however, have insisted they will continue to appeal for the 24-year-old to be made available for both tournaments.