Portugal’s new head coach Jorge Jesus has named Cristiano Ronaldo in the national squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures.
The campaign will begin at home against Wales on September 24, followed by an away match against Norway on September 27. Portugal will then travel to Denmark on October 1 before hosting Norway again on October 4.
Ronaldo, aged 41, previously stated that the FIFA World Cup in the summer would be his final appearance at that tournament, though he has not confirmed when he plans to retire from international football. He will be 43 years old at the time of the 2028 European Championship, according to ESPN.
A five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo is the top scorer in men’s international football with 146 goals. His most notable achievement with Portugal came in 2016 when he helped secure the country’s first European Championship title.
This squad announcement is Jorge Jesus’s first since taking over Portugal following the team’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup round of 16. Jesus replaced Roberto Martinez and previously coached Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, where they won the league title last season.
The 25 players selected by Jorge Jesus are as follows:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting CP), Samuel Soares (SL Benfica)
Defenders: Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting CP), João Cancelo (FC Barcelona), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Nuno Tavares (SS Lazio), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Renato Veiga (Villarreal CF), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Tomás Araújo (SL Benfica)
Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), João Palhinha (SL Benfica), João Neves (PSG), Rúben Neves (Al Hilal), Vitinha (PSG), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid)
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Fábio Silva (BV Borussia Dortmund), Francisco Trincão (Al Ahli), Francisco Conceição (Juventus FC), Gonçalo Ramos (AC Milan), João Félix (Al Nassr), Pedro Neto (Chelsea FC), Rafael Leão (Galatasaray)