Cristiano Ronaldo will be able to play in Portugal’s opening game at the World Cup in spite of his red card against the Republic of Ireland. The legendary forward was sent off after elbowing Dara O’Shea, with his dismissal being confirmed following a VAR intervention. It sparked fears that he would be unable to represent his country in their World Cup opener, depending on the length of his suspension.

Violent conduct usually carries an automatic three-match ban, but Ronaldo has had the second and third matches suspended for a year in a rare ruling. He did not play in Portugal’s victory against Armenia during the recent international break, which was the first game after he was dismissed against Ireland. As a result, the 40-year-old won’t miss any World Cup matches next summer.

In a statement, FIFA said: “If Cristiano Ronaldo commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension set out in the disciplinary decision shall be deemed automatically revoked and the remaining two matches must be served immediately.”

According to BBC Sport, the unique ruling was influenced by the fact that Ronaldo’s dismissal against Ireland was his first red card in 226 international appearances.

The former Real Madrid marksman scored five goals in qualifying as Portugal won Group F to reach their seventh straight World Cup. They will discover their group stage opponents when the draw is made next Friday.

It comes after Portugal boss Roberto Martinez insisted that Ronaldo remains a hugely important player at international level, highlighting his driven nature as well as his impressive scoring rate.

Appearing as a guest on Monday Night Football, Martinez said: “Obviously, everybody has an opinion [on Ronaldo]. What I’ve been seeing is that, when we win and Cristiano scores the goal or two goals, the question in the press is: ‘What are you going to do when Cristiano is not there? The team depends on Cristiano too much.’

“When Cristiano doesn’t score, it’s: ‘How are you going to win when you’ve got a 40-year-old in the team?’. For us, it’s easier than that. He plays because he’s scored 25 goals in the last 30 games. His record is incredible.

“When he walks into the training camp, he’s an example of professionalism, looking after himself and using every day to become better. Then it’s that pride of playing for the national team. He’s the only [male] player in the world, in history, to play 227 [international] games.

“There are aspects that go down to the behaviour now. Nobody has anything given in international football. Every player has got an incredible competitive edge and what Cristiano brings alongside goalscoring is his attitude and hungry feeling for the national team.

“So, while he has that, he’s an incredible source of contagious positivity in the dressing room. He’s become a specialist in the box as a finisher, and it’s this desire to carry on improving.

“I always believed that the body retires the player. When I’ve seen Cristiano work, I’m convinced it’s the brain that retires the footballer. His body follows his focus and mindset. He doesn’t do it for anybody [else], he does it for himself.”