The Portuguese Football Federation issued an official statement revealing that Rafael Leao, the Italian Milan striker, was excluded from the national team roster before facing Hungary in the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The Portuguese national team is preparing to face its Hungarian counterpart at 10:15 pm today, Tuesday, Cairo and Mecca time, and 11:15 Abu Dhabi time, at the “José Alvalade” stadium. In the capital, Lisbon, in a meeting during which “Brazil of Europe” seeks to enhance its chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
A strong blow to Portugal’s list before facing Hungary
The decision to exclude Liao came after his medical condition was evaluated by the technical staff led by Roberto Martinez, who preferred to give him more time to recover and not risk involving him, especially after his appearance as a substitute in the last match against the Republic of Ireland.
According to what was reported by the Football Italia website, tests showed that the player had not fully recovered from the leg muscle injury he suffered during Milan’s match against Bari in the Italian Cup last August.
The Federation explained in its statement that Leao will return to Milan to continue his rehabilitation program and regain his full physical readiness, in light of his absence from the starting lineup for his team and his country since the start of the season.
It is noteworthy that Rafael Leao (26 years old) is one of the prominent attacking pillars of the Portuguese national team, and he is expected to return to the field as soon as he completes his recovery from injury.
