Lisbon, September 18 (Daily Kiran) : Cristiano Ronaldo has put an end to speculation surrounding his international future by being named in Portugal’s squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches. The announcement comes from the newly appointed head coach, Jorge Jesus, who has included the veteran forward in his first team selection.
Following Portugal’s exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the Round of 16 against Spain, Ronaldo had been non-committal about his future with the national team. At 41, he hinted that this World Cup might be his last, yet he did not officially announce his retirement from international football.
Jesus’s decision to include Ronaldo confirms that the legendary player will continue to be available for national duty as Portugal embarks on a new chapter under his leadership. Jesus replaced Roberto Martinez after Portugal’s disappointing World Cup performance. The two share a history, having previously worked together at Al-Nassr, where they celebrated a league title last season.
However, Jesus emphasized that Ronaldo will not receive any preferential treatment. He stated to reporters, “All selected players are treated equally. If he performs well, he will play; if not, he won’t. I treat everyone the same.”
Ronaldo remains the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football with 146 goals. He is on the verge of reaching the milestone of 1,000 career goals, currently sitting at 979 when combining club and international totals. Jesus believes Ronaldo might achieve this milestone while playing for Al-Nassr rather than the national team.
Portugal will kick off their Nations League campaign at home against Wales on September 24, followed by an away match against Norway three days later. They will then face Denmark on October 1 before hosting Norway again on October 4.
The Portugal squad includes:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Rui Silva, Samuel Soares.
Defenders: Gonçalo Inácio, Renato Veiga, Rúben Dias, Tomás Araújo, João Cancelo, Diogo Dalot, Nuno Tavares, Nuno Mendes.
Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes, João Palhinha, Rúben Neves, João Neves, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Fábio Silva, Trincão, Francisco Conceição, Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Pedro Neto, Rafael Leão.
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