Malmö FF rented out the Eleda Stadion to the Portuguese Football Federation for two evening training sessions during the international break. Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the Portugal squad trained at the facility on Monday and Tuesday evenings before travelling on to Denmark for their Nations League match on Thursday night.
Several fans gathered outside the team's hotel, the Radisson Blu on Östergatan, hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars. Disappointment set in as the players went straight inside. "The bus parked right in front of us, so we didn't get to see him. We saw his reflection," said Saman, 33, who was there with his friends. Victor, 18, described the scene: "They took their bags and went straight in."
Another supporter, Babu, brought a Real Madrid shirt with Ronaldo's name hoping for an autograph. He called it disappointing but hoped for another chance. Brothers Eray and Erel were also looking for Ronaldo and Rafael Leao, noting it felt a bit bad when the players didn't come forward.
Portugal chose Malmö as their base instead of Copenhagen following a 2-1 win against Norway in Oslo. The team plans to travel to Denmark on Wednesday for final preparations ahead of the match against Denmark, scheduled for Thursday at 20:45.
For Malmö FF, the rental income provides a welcome extra revenue stream during a challenging period for the club. The team currently sits seventh in the Allsvenskan with 33 points from 22 games and has lost its last three matches. The most recent loss came against IFK Norrköping, where Malmö FF conceded three goals.
Stefan Panta, a student in Malmö, thought it was cool to see a player of Ronaldo's calibre in the city. The training sessions at the Eleda Stadion concluded on Tuesday evening, with the Portuguese delegation now leaving Malmö to focus on the Nations League. Portugal will face Denmark in a match that is key for their chances of winning their Nations League group.
Background and full detail: Expressen Sport
