Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Portugal squad for Nations League under new coach
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Portugal squad for Nations League under new coach")
Cristiano Ronaldo Photograph: (AFP)
The 41-year-old remains part of Portugal’s plans for the UEFA Nations League, despite previously stating that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be his final tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in Portugal’s squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches as new head coach Jorge Jesus included the 41-year-old captain in his first team selection on Friday (Sep 18). Ronaldo had previously said that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be his last, but he has not confirmed when he will retire from international football. He will turn 43 by the time the 2028 European Championship takes place.
This is Jesus’ first squad since taking over from Roberto Martinez, who left his position after Portugal’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
Jesus knows Ronaldo well, having coached him at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr and the pair helped the club win the league last season. The 72-year-old manager has also worked with Portuguese giants Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.
Ronaldo remains the highest goalscorer in men’s international football, with 146 goals and also played a key role in Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph. The forward is now close to reaching 1,000 goals in his career, having scored 979 so far.
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Cristiano Ronaldo Photograph: (AFP)
Jesus believes Ronaldo is more likely to reach the milestone with Al-Nassr than Portugal and also made it clear that Ronaldo’s reputation will not guarantee him a starting spot.
“I think he’s more likely to score his thousandth goal for Al-Nassr than for the Portuguese national team,” Jesus said.
“All the called-up players are at my disposal. If he performs well, he plays. If he doesn’t perform well, he doesn’t play. That’s how I treat everyone”, he added.
However, Jesus admitted that Ronaldo’s achievements give him a unique status.
“Now, does Cris have a different status? Yes. His career is different. He has five Ballon d’Or awards, but does that influence my decisions? No. It doesn’t influence anything, zero, but he is different from the others,” he concluded.
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Portugal will face Wales at home on Sep 24, before travelling to Norway on Sep 27 and Denmark on Oct 1. They will host Norway on Oct 4.