Cristiano Ronaldo sends message of encouragement to Portugal teammates

Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a message of encouragement to his Portugal teammates, as the European nation look to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Portugal will take on Turkey in a playoff semi-final on Thursday evening before potentially facing Italy or North Macedonia for a spot at the World Cup on March 29.

Ronaldo has said that his "total focus" is on helping his country qualify for the tournament, and the Manchester United attacker has called on his team to "fight" for a position in the finals.

"Total focus on the 2022 World Cup," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram. "Proud, as always, to represent Portugal. We know that the path will not be easy, we have the utmost respect for the adversaries we're going to face and that they have the same goals as us.

"But, together, we'll fight to put Portugal in our rightful place. Let's do this!"

Fernando Santos's side failed to secure an automatic spot at the World Cup after finishing second behind Serbia in Group A.

A Selecao have been present in each of the last five World Cups, last failing to qualify for the finals of the tournament back in 1998.