Nations League: Ronaldo names new coach Jorge Jesus in Portugal’s first team
Cristiano Ronaldo has been included in Portugal’s squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches, with new head coach Jorge Jesus retaining the 41-year-old captain in his first squad announcement on Friday.
Ronaldo said it this year’s World Cup will be his last, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has yet to announce when he plans to end his international career. He will be 43 by the time of the 2028 European Championships, the next major tournament.
This is the first Portuguese team selected Jesus since replacing Roberto Martinezwho left the job following the team’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Jesus previously coached Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, where they both helped the club win the league last season. The 72-year-old has also managed several top Portuguese clubs, including Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.
Ronaldo remains the top scorer in men’s international football with 146 goals. He helped Portugal win the European Championship in 2016 and has remained a key figure in the national team throughout his career.
The Portugal captain is also closing in on 1,000 career goals, having scored 979 so far. However, Jesus believes Ronaldo is more likely to reach the milestone with Al-Nassr than with the national team.
“I think he is more likely to score the 1,000th goal for Al-Nassr than for the Portuguese national team,” Jesus said.
JESUS ON RONALDO
Jesus said Ronaldo’s status would not guarantee him a place in the starting XI and insisted the forward would be treated like any other player during selection.
“All the called-up players are available to me,” said Jesus. “If he performs well, he plays. If he doesn’t perform well, he doesn’t play. That’s how I treat everybody.”
However, Jesus acknowledged that Ronaldo’s career gives him a different position in the team. “Is Cris in a different position now? Yes. His career is different,” he said. “He has five Ballon d’Or awards. But does that affect my decision? No. It doesn’t affect anything, zero, but he’s different from the others.”
PORTUGUESE SOCIETY
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Rui Silva, Samuel Soares
Defenders: Joao Cancelo, Diogo Dalot, Ruben Dias, Tomas Araujo, Renato Veiga, Goncalo Inacio, Nuno Mendes, Nuno Tavares
Reserves: Joao Palhinha, Ruben Neves, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes
Attackers: Francisco Conceicao, Francisco Trincao, Rafael Leao, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Cristiano Ronaldo, Goncalo Ramos, Fabio Silva
Portugal open their Nations League campaign at home to Wales on September 24. Jesus’ side then take on Norway three days later before taking on Denmark on October 1. Portugal will host Norway on October 4.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
18 Sep 2026 18:03 IST