Cristiano Ronaldo named to Portugal’s Nations League squad at 41

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to return to Portugal’s Nations League squad as the football star was named by new coach Jorge Jesus on Friday.

Jesus is the new manager of the Portuguese national team, having been hired to replace Roberto Martinez following Portugal’s round-of-16 exit to Spain at FIFA World Cup 2026.

The 41-year-old confirmed that the recent summer World Cup was his last, but has not yet announced his retirement from international football. He would be 43 by the 2028 European Championship.

Regarding Ronaldo’s role under the new management, Jesus revealed that “all the called-up players are at my disposal.” He previously managed Ronaldo's club team, Al-Nassr, in Saudi Arabia, where the two won a league title together last season.

“If he performs well, he plays. If he doesn’t perform well, he doesn’t play. That’s how I treat everyone,” Jesus said.

Ronaldo is the leading scorer for men’s international soccer with 146 goals. Now he is pursuing 1000 career goals, currently he has 979. Given the prospects of chasing this milestone, Jesus believed that Ronald would secure this triumph while playing with Portugal.

“I think he’s more likely to score his thousandth goal for Al-Nassr than for the Portuguese national team,” Jesus added.

Portugal is set to host Wales in the Nations League on September 24. They play away against Norway three days later, travel to Denmark on October 1, and then host Norway on October 4.