Portugal risk Madrid row over plans to pick Ronaldo for Olympics

The nation's Under-21 efforts have secured a place in Brazil next summer and the Blancos forward is part of their plans

Portugal are risking a club vs country row with Real Madrid after revealing they are considering choosing Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the three over-23 players for at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Should the 30-year-old still be at the Santiago Bernabeu heading into the 2016-17 campaign, Madrid are likely to heavily object to his Olympics participation due to the close proximity to La Liga's start date in August.
Barring injury, Ronaldo is also certain to be involved in the Euro 2016 finals, assuming the Seleccao remain in the top two teams of their qualification group.
Portugal Football Association (FPF) president Fernando Gomes says that planning for Rio 2016 is still in the early stages but admitted Ronaldo could feature at the Games.
"It's a possibility," Gomes told Globo Esporte when asked about Ronaldo being involved in the Olympics.
"We can take three players aged over 23. Ronaldo is one of our current options but we have not thought too much about it yet."
Sixteen teams will compete for the gold medal in the men's football event in Rio, with the three other European entrants confirmed as Germany, Sweden and Denmark.
Ronaldo has enjoyed a glittering career at club level but silverware on the international scene has eluded him, with a runners-up medal at Euro 2004 the closest he's come to winning a trophy with his country.
Portugal booked their spot in next summer's Olympics due to the Under-21 side reaching the last four of June's European Championship finals and, on Tuesday, they could win the tournament with a victory over Sweden's Under-21s.