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Ronaldo Back for Portugal Under New Coach Jesus
18 Sep
Summary
- Cristiano Ronaldo included in Portugal's squad by new coach Jorge Jesus.
- Coach Jesus stated Ronaldo has a special status but won't influence decisions.
- Ronaldo is chasing 1,000 career goals, currently at 979.
New Portugal coach Jorge Jesus has included veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo in his first squad announcement for the Nations League. The selection comes after Ronaldo's statement that the recent World Cup was his last, though his retirement from international play remains unconfirmed.
Jesus, who previously coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, acknowledged the player's "special status" but asserted that selection will be performance-based. "If he performs well, he plays. If he doesn't perform well, he doesn't play," Jesus stated, while noting Ronaldo's career achievements. Ronaldo, the men's international top scorer with 146 goals, is now pursuing 1,000 career goals, currently sitting at 979.
Portugal is set to open its Nations League campaign at home against Wales on September 24th. They will then travel to face Norway before subsequent matches against Denmark and Norway in October. Jesus expressed doubt that Ronaldo would reach his thousandth career goal while playing for the national team.
