Cristiano Ronaldo stays with Portugal! Jorge Jesus picks him after WC | OneFootball

CR7 Still Isn’t Saying Goodbye to the National Team

Cristiano Ronaldo remains part of the Portugal national team. New head coach Jorge Jesus included the 41-year-old forward in his first squad for the upcoming Nations League matches, keeping the question open as to when the end of his international career will come.

Ronaldo had said that the 2026 World Cup would be the last of his career, but so far he has not announced a specific date for retiring from the Portuguese national team.

The situation leaves open the possibility that the all-time leading scorer in international men’s football will wear Portugal’s shirt again in the upcoming matches.

Jorge Jesus begins his time in charge of Portugal

The squad announcement also marks the official start of Jorge Jesus’ era as Portugal manager.

The 72-year-old coach was hired to replace Roberto Martínez, who left the job after Portugal were eliminated from the World Cup following a 1-0 loss to Spain in the round of 16.

Jesus arrives with a previous connection to Ronaldo, as the two were together at Al-Nassr, the Saudi Arabian club where they won the league last season.

Before coaching in Saudi Arabia, the Portuguese manager had a long career in his home country, where he was in charge of clubs such as Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.

Ronaldo keeps his international legacy alive

At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of Portugal’s leading figures.

The forward, winner of five Ballon d'Or awards, is currently the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football with 146 goals.

With the Portuguese national team, his greatest achievement came in 2016, when he helped them win the historic European Championship title.

Now, after playing in what he had announced as his last World Cup, Ronaldo will have a new opportunity to continue adding to his story with Portugal.

Portugal already knows its next matches

The national team’s new era will begin on September 24, when Portugal host Wales in their first Nations League match under Jorge Jesus.

Three days later, the Portuguese team will visit Norway. They will then face Denmark away on October 1 and close this run of matches against Norway once again, this time at home, on October 4.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence in the squad leaves one question unanswered: how much longer will CR7 continue defending Portugal’s shirt? For now, the forward still has not announced when his farewell will come.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.