Cristiano Ronaldo has been selected in Portugal’s squad for their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg this month.
Coach Roberto Martinez, who recently replaced Fernando Santos as the team’s manager after the 2022 World Cup, has decided to pick Ronaldo in his first squad amid concerns about the 38-year old’s international future after Portugal were eliminated by Morocco at the quarter final stage.
This will be the first time Roberto Martinez will take charge of the team.
He decided to include the five-time Ballon D’or winner in his squad after he reportedly met with Ronaldo to discuss his future involvement.
Martinez said: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo is a very committed player. He can bring experience and is a very important figure for the team. I don’t look at age.’
Liverpool’s Diogo Jota and Chelsea loanee Joao Felix have also been selected.
38-year old Ronaldo has 196 international caps for Portugal which is the joint-most in men’s football.
He also scored a record 118 international goals with further opportunities to add to the tally and extend his record, this month.
He left Manchester United in November following a controversial interview in which he criticized the club before joining Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr on a free transfer in January.
Ronaldo has enjoyed a stellar run of form and has endured a fine start to life in Asia, scoring eight goals in nine appearances for new club, Al Nassr.
Euro 2024 will be hosted across ten German cities in the summer after the conclusion of next season.
Portugal host Liechtenstein on 23 March and are away to Luxembourg three days later. The other teams in Group J are Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovakia.
Here is the full list:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton), Rui Patricio (AS Roma).
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Man United), Joao Cancelo (Bayern), Danilo Pereira and Nuno Mendes (PSG), Pepe (FC Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Diogo Leite (Union Berlin) and Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund).
Midfielders: Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton), Bernardo Silva (Man City), Bruno Fernandes (Man United), Joao Mario (Benfica), Otavio Monteiro (FC Porto) and Vitinha (PSG).
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Goncalo Ramos (Benfica), Joao Felix (Chelsea), Rafael Leao (Milan) and Diogo Jota (Liverpool).
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