Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in Portugal’s squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures, with new head coach Jorge Jesus including the 41-year-old captain in his first squad selection on Friday, September 18. Ronaldo had earlier stated that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be his final tournament, though he has yet to confirm when he plans to retire from international football altogether. He will be 43 by the time the 2028 European Championship comes around.
This marks Jesus’s first squad announcement since taking charge of the national team from Roberto Martinez, who stepped down following Portugal’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
Jesus is no stranger to Ronaldo, having coached him at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, where the pair guided the side to the league title last season. The 72-year-old manager has also had spells in charge of Portuguese giants Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.
Ronaldo continues to hold the record as the highest goalscorer in men’s international football, with 146 goals to his name, and was instrumental in Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph. The forward is now closing in on the 1,000-goal milestone for his career, having netted 979 so far.
Jesus, however, believes Ronaldo is more likely to reach that landmark with Al-Nassr than with the national team, and made clear that the striker’s stature will not guarantee him a place in the starting line-up.
“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.
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Even so, Jesus acknowledged that Ronaldo’s career sets him apart. “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 said.
Portugal will host Wales at home on September 24, before travelling to face Norway on September 27 and Denmark on October 1. They will then return home to take on Norway once again on October 4.
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