Superstar attacker Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal practice early on Wednesday, applying ice to his troublesome knee and taking in the final portion of the training session from the bench, according to Portuguese sports daily Record.
Ronaldo has been bothered by several leg complaints throughout his latest club season, in which he led Real Madrid to their record 10th UEFA Champions League title. He played in the final against crosstown rivals Atlético Madrid – scoring a penalty late into extra time – then shut everything down for nearly a month in a bid to be ready for the World Cup.
He made his return to the field just under two weeks ago in a friendly win over Ireland, in which he seemed close to 100 percent fit. He then went the full 90 against Germany in Portugal's 4-0 loss to Germany to open Group G play.
Ronaldo has frequently left training early to ice his knee over the past several weeks. Neither he nor the Portuguese federation released any comment on the matter.
The US face Portugal on Sunday (6 pm ET; ESPN) in both teams' second group-stage match.
