Cristiano Ronaldo's mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, is in attendance to watch Portugal's 2024 UEFA Euros qualifier against Luxembourg on Monday (September 11) despite her son's suspension.
Ronaldo picked up a suspension through a yellow card in his team's 1-0 win against Slovakia on September 8 when he lunged into goalkeeper Martin Dubravka's face. In Ronaldo's absence, manager Roberto Martinez has picked a front three of Goncalo Ramos, Rafael Leao and Diogo Jota.
Dolores Aveiro has nevertheless found time to support Portugal despite her son returning to Al-Nassr to prepare for their upcoming game against Al-Raed on September 16. She posted a photo on Instagram sporting the nation's jersey and matching it with a turquoise blue outfit.
The caption read:
"Good luck to our national team (Portugal flag)❤️💪⚽️"
Dolores Aveiro played a huge role in kickstarting Ronaldo's career and is often spotted in attendance in her son's games. This time, she will have to back her country without 'CR7' leading their line against his favorite international opponents, against whom he has 11 goals.
Portugal are top of the standings in Group J, leading Slovakia by five points after as many group-stage games. Ronaldo played in all five games, scoring five times.
Martin Dubravka posted a photo with Cristiano Ronaldo after yellow-card incident
Martin Dubravka seems to have no grudges against Cristiano Ronaldo despite the latter's reckless challenge in their last meeting.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar caught Dubravka in the face at the hour mark as the Slovakian goalkeeper tried to grab the ball inside the box. The tackle seemed nasty, and Ronaldo was arguably fotunate to avoid a straight red card.
Dubravka came out of the game unscathed and played the full 90 minutes against the 2016 UEFA Euros champions. After the 1-0 loss in Bratislava, he made an Instagram post where he posted pictures alongside Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 34-year-old Newcastle United goalkeeper captioned it:
"nice to see a good old friends⚽️"
The Slovakian shot-stopper was teammates with Fernandes and Ronaldo during his spell at Old Trafford for the first half of the 2022-23 season. He played just two games for the Red Devils — both in the EFL Cup — and shared the pitch with Fernandes.
Dubravka, though, never got the chance to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, who left by mutual consent just a couple of months after the goalkeeper had joined the club on loan.