Cristiano Ronaldo named in Portugal’s Nations League squad despite retirement hint

Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in Portugal’s squad by new coach Jorge Jesus ahead of their upcoming Nations League fixtures.

The 41-year-old indicated that this summer’s World Cup was his final one, and he dropped a fresh retirement hint last month when speaking to Vogue as he admitted: ”This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy.”

He will turn 43 ahead of the 2028 European Championship, the next major tournament on the calendar.

Friday’s squad announcement represents the first selection by Jesus, who took charge following the departure of Spaniard Roberto Martinez after Portugal’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup round of 16. Jesus previously managed Ronaldo at Saudi side Al-Nassr, winning the league title together last season.

Addressing Ronaldo’s position in the side, Jesus noted "all the called-up players are at my disposal."

Jorge Jesus has picked Ronaldo in his first Portugal squad (Getty)

"If he performs well, he plays. If he doesn’t perform well, he doesn’t play. That’s how I treat everyone," Jesus said, before adding a caveat.

"Now, does Cris have a different status? Yes. His career is different," he said. "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."

The 72-year-old manager has also led a number of Portuguese clubs during his career, including Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.

Ronaldo stands as the highest-scoring player in men’s international football history with 146 goals, with his crowning achievement coming when he helped Portugal win Euro 2016.

He is currently targeting 1,000 career goals, standing on 979. Asked whether he expected Ronaldo to achieve that landmark for his country, Jesus appeared sceptical.

"I think he's more likely to score his thousandth goal for Al-Nassr than for the Portuguese national team," Jesus said.

Portugal begin their Nations League schedule at home to Wales on 24 September. They visit Norway three days later and play in Denmark on 1 October, before hosting Norway on 4 October.

Portugal squad

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting), Samuel Soares (Benfica)

Defenders: Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting), João Cancelo (Barcelona), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Nuno Tavares (Lazio), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Tomás Araújo (Benfica)

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), João Palhinha (Benfica), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Rúben Neves (Al Hilal), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid)