Ronaldo keeps Portugal place for Nations League as Jesus names first squad

Ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo named in Portugal squad to face ⁠Norway and Denmark.Cristiano Ronaldo has been ‌included in new Portugal manager Jorge Jesus’s first 25-man squad for the defending ⁠champions’ upcoming four ⁠Nations League matches.In August, Ronaldo fuelled speculation about his retirement plans after saying the coming year would probably be the last of his playing career.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Asian Games 2026: All to know about the dates, venues and sportslist 2 of 4North Korea anthem played at South’s Bangladesh hockey match at Asian Gameslist 3 of 4India star Sooryavanshi urged to be patient by coach Gambhirlist 4 of 4Abhishek Sharma hits record T20 ton as India beat Afghanistan by 127 runsend of listThe ⁠41-year-old Portugal captain is one of the most decorated players in football history, having won major trophies with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and current club Al Nassr since ⁠making his senior debut for Sporting in 2002.Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, was unable to add a World Cup title to his list of honours after Portugal were knocked out in the last 16 by eventual champions Spain, leaving the sport’s biggest prize absent from ‌his trophy cabinet.Ronaldo confirmed in July that the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup would be his last in that competition, but he was unwilling to make a hasty call on his international future.“His performance is what matters. The past doesn’t count,” Jesus told 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.”Jesus will make his debut as Portugal manager against Wales at home on September 24. Portugal then travel to face ⁠Norway and Denmark on September 27 and October 1 ⁠respectively, before hosting Norway on October 4.