The Barcelona icon has stressed that it's a shame that either the Real Madrid star or the Paris Saint-Germain striker will miss next year's tournament, but he would rather see Portugal qualify than Sweden if he had to make a choice between both countries.
"It is a huge blow for the World Cup that one of these two players won't make it. It's a sad situation," Cruyff told Algemeen Dagblad.
"I don't really have a preference between the two of them, but if I had to make a choice I would rather see Ronaldo qualify. That's a bit of a political decision, though, as I live in Spain.
"They're different types of players. I have criticised both of them in the past because I think they should behave like role models. Kids adore them.
"But it's a shame for the footballing world that one of them won't be there if you look at how they play and at the goals Ibrahimovic has scored in recent weeks."