Expectant fans in New Zealand and St Petersburg will have to wait and see whether the star attacker turns out for Portugal on Saturday
Portugal head coach Fernando Santos enjoys watching Cristiano Ronaldo play just as much as the Real Madrid star's legion of fans, but that does not mean he will select him to face New Zealand in the Confederations Cup.
The European champions round off their Group A campaign against Anthony Hudson's tournament outsiders, who are already eliminated after they went down to a spirited 2-1 defeat against Mexico on Wednesday.
Ronaldo has started both matches to date, scoring the winner against hosts Russia in Moscow, where he collected a second man-of-the-match award to stand alongside the one he scooped after an opening 2-2 draw with Mexico.