"A player like the others".. Jesus settles the Ronaldo question in his squad
Jorge Jesus, Portugal's new head coach, has revealed his first squad since taking over from Roberto Martinez, calling up Cristiano Ronaldo despite the star's recent comments about the nearing end of his international career.
Coach Jorge Jesus has revealed his first squad in charge of Portugal, succeeding Spaniard Roberto Martinez, ahead of four Nations League matches.
Jesus's stance on Ronaldo
The squad includes Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo (41), despite his recent comments suggesting the current season could be the last of his career. Jesus made his position on the Portuguese star clear:
"He's a player like the others - if he delivers the required performance he plays, if he doesn't he won't play."
"He has a different status because his career is different, he's won five Ballons d'Or. But does that affect my decisions? No."
The four-match schedule
- September 24: Portugal vs Wales — at home
- September 27: Norway vs Portugal — away
- October 1: Portugal vs Denmark — at home
- October 4: Portugal vs Norway — at home
The full squad
Goalkeepers:
- Diogo Costa
- Rui Silva
- Samuel Soares
Defenders:
- Goncalo Inacio
- Joao Cancelo
- Diogo Dalot
- Nuno Tavares
- Nuno Mendes
- Renato Veiga
- Ruben Dias
- Tomas Araujo
Midfielders:
- Bruno Fernandes
- Joao Palhinha
- Joao Neves
- Ruben Neves
- Vitinha
- Bernardo Silva
Forwards:
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Fabio Silva
- Francisco Trincao
- Francisco Conceicao
- Goncalo Ramos
- Joao Felix
- Pedro Neto
- Rafael Leao
