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Cristiano Ronaldo has been called up to the Portugal squad for the first four matches of the UEFA Nations League, according to a list announced on Friday by new coach Jorge Jesus.
As expected, the first list of the 71-year-old Portuguese coach included the name of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who at 41 may be playing the last season of his career.
Jesus, who replaced Spaniard Roberto Martinez after the 2026 World Cup, last season coached Portugal's captain when he was coach of Saudi club Al-Nassr, where "CR7" still plays after announcing in August that this season would likely be his last as a professional footballer.
During this summer's World Cup, the Madeira-born player became the first player in history to score goals in six different World Cup editions, but the tournament ended disappointingly, with Portugal exiting in the round of 16 with a 1-0 loss to Spain, who later won the title.
Martinez was then widely criticized for his constant reliance on Ronaldo in the starting lineup, giving very limited playing time to his substitute Goncalo Ramos.
Jesus said on Friday during a press conference about Ronaldo, "He is a player like the others, if he delivers the required performance, he plays, if he doesn't, he doesn't play."
He added, "He has a different status because his career is different, he has won five Ballon d'Or awards. But does that affect my decisions? No."
Among the few new additions to the list announced by Jesus, which included 25 players, were Borussia Dortmund striker Fabio Silva and Benfica midfielder Joao Palhinha.
The list also included Paris Saint-Germain players Vitinha and Joao Neves, and Nuno Mendes.
Portugal won the Nations League in 2019 and 2025, and the new edition of the competition will start with a home match against Wales on Thursday in Lisbon, before visiting Norway on September 27, then Denmark on October 1, and hosting Norway again on October 4 in Porto.
Here is the squad:
- Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting), Samuel Soares (Benfica).
- Defenders: Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Nuno Tavares (Lazio), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Renato Vega (Villarreal), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Tomas Araujo (Benfica).
- Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Palhinha (Benfica), Joao Neves, Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid).
- Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Fabio Silva (Borussia Dortmund), Francisco Trincao (Al-Ahli), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus), Goncalo Ramos (Milan), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr), Pedro Neto (Chelsea) and Rafael Leao (Galatasaray).
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