Cristiano Ronaldo Included in Jorge Jesus's First Portugal Squad for Nations League Campaign

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been selected in new Portugal manager Jorge Jesus’s initial 25-man squad for the defending champions' upcoming four Nations League matches.

Earlier in August, Ronaldo sparked discussions regarding his eventual retirement after mentioning that the upcoming year would likely mark the final stretch of his playing days. The 41-year-old Portugal captain remains one of the most decorated figures in football history, having secured major trophies with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and his current team Al Nassr, following his senior debut for Sporting back in 2002.

As a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo ultimately missed out on capturing a World Cup title after Portugal exited the tournament in the last 16 following a defeat to Spain, leaving the sport's most prestigious trophy absent from his collection. Ronaldo confirmed in July that the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup would be his final appearance in that tournament, though he refrained from making any immediate decisions regarding his broader international future.

“His performance is what matters. The past doesn’t count,” Jorge Jesus stated during a news conference on Friday. “In this squad, there are 13 players who have worked with me. I don’t have a set core, so within this group, there were several players who were important for this squad.”

“Cris is a player like any other. If he performs, he plays; if not, he doesn’t. He has a different status – he has five Ballon d’Or awards – but does that factor into my decisions? No. However, the fact that he is different is.”

Jorge Jesus is set to make his managerial debut for Portugal against Wales at home on September 24. Portugal will then travel to face Norway and Denmark on September 27 and October 1 respectively, before hosting Norway once again on October 4.

Portugal appointed the 72-year-old former Al Nassr boss in July, just days after Spanish manager Roberto Martinez stepped down following the national team's World Cup departure.

Portugal’s Nations League 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 St Germain), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Tomas Araujo (Benfica)

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Palhinha (Benfica), Joao Neves (Paris St Germain), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Vitinha (Paris St Germain), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid)

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Fabio Silva (Borussia Dortmund), Francisco Trincao (Al-Ahli), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus), Goncalo Ramos (AC Milan), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leao (Galatasaray)