World soccer power Portugal, led by icon Cristiano Ronaldo, will train for this summer’s FIFA World Cup at Gardens North County District Park in Palm Beach Gardens, sources told The Palm Beach Post.
Ronaldo is a transcendent star and five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or as the world’s player of the year.
“CR7,” as his fans call him, has scored 143 goals in 226 national-team appearances in addition to starring at Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United and his current club, Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Multiple outlets reported this week that Ronaldo’s private jet left the Middle East amid the growing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. But Ronaldo wasn’t on the flight to Madrid and in fact is still in Saudi Arabia with his club team.
Portugal is ranked sixth in the world by FIFA, which will soon announce training sites for the 48 teams qualifying for this World Cup.
What is now known is in addition to hosting one of the World Cup favorites, Palm Beach County also will host the ultimate underdog: Curacao, the smallest country to ever qualify for a World Cup. That island nation of about 156,000 plans to base its team in Boca Raton for training at Florida Atlantic University.
Tim Ford, director of Sport and special facilities in Palm Beach Gardens, would not comment on Portugal. He said his facility is negotiating to host World Cup teams for training.
“We are in discussions with FIFA,” he said. “They’re ongoing with various national teams but we’re not in position to broadcast anything. We certainly hope to be very active this summer.”
Ford said national teams are interested in using the facility from mid-June to early July, mirroring the dates of the tournament.
Portugal has one opening-round match at Hard Rock Stadium, a June 27 clash with Colombia that has drawn more ticket requests than any other match, even the final.
Portugal’s World Cup tune-up friendlies have not been announced, so it’s possible the team will play in South Florida before the tournament.
Portugal has never won the World Cup but is a tournament regular, with this being its seventh consecutive appearance. Its highest finish was third place in 1966, losing to eventual champion England in the semifinals.
Portugal is coached by Roberto Martinez, the former coach of Belgium.
Portugal also features midfielders Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes. Vitinha, whose club team is Paris Saint-Germain, was third in the Ballon d’Or voting. Fernandes is captain of Manchester United.
North County District Park has hosted numerous MLS teams, Real Madrid
Offering numerous fields and security, North County District Park has become a popular landing spot for professional soccer teams. Major League Soccer teams from Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Kansas City and Nashville have used the facility. Last year, Real Madrid visited.
The 82-acre park was funded with a one-cent sales tax that raised $13.7 million. Work began in 2018 and the park opened in June 2019.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal to train in Palm Beach Gardens
Reporting by Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
