Cristiano Ronaldo (38-Al Nasr) has been named to the Portugal roster.
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced the 26-man roster for the two June A matches on its official website on Tuesday. The call-up comes nearly two months after the two Euro 2024 qualifiers in March. Portugal will play Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 18 and Iceland on June 21 in their Euro 2024 Group J qualifiers.
Portugal ended the contract of coach Fernando Santos after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and named Roberto Martinez as its new boss. Ronaldo, who struggled at the World Cup, has been a big part of the new regime. On Martinez’s debut in March, Ronaldo started as a frontline striker in a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein. He followed that up with a multi-goal performance against Luxembourg and was named Man of the Match.
This doubleheader will be a true test for Ronaldo. While Liechtenstein and Luxembourg are underdogs, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland are two of Group J’s strongest teams. It will be interesting to see if Ronaldo can continue his form.
Ronaldo has also been shaking off the rust at his club level. He has scored 14 goals in 16 appearances for Al Nasr in the Saudi Arabian League this season. Al Nasr may have lost the league title to Al Ittihad, but they’ve benefited from the Ronaldo effect on and off the field.
The roster, meanwhile, features some of the world’s best players, as expected from a country that boasts an ultra-luxury roster. In the forward line, Ronaldo is joined by Rafael Leão and João Felix. Midfielders include Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva. The defenders included Juventus’s Juventus Dias, Pepe, Diogo Dalot, and Joao Cancelo.
It’s noteworthy that there are four players from Hwang’s former club, Wolverhampton. Ruben Neves, Nelson Semedo, Totti Gomes, and Joao Saga are among them.
Portugal’s roster for the two June A matches
Goalkeeper: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Rui Patricio 메이저놀이터 (AS Roma), João Jesus (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Raphael Geheiro (Borussia Dortmund), Nelson Semedo (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Totti Gomes (Wolverhampton Wanderers), João Cancelo (Bayern Munich), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain), Pepe (FC Porto), Juventus Dias (Manchester City), Antonio Silva (SL Benfica), Gonçalo Insigne (Sporting CP),
Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Juan Palinha (Fulham), Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Bitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), , Otavio Monteiro (FC Porto), Henatu Sanches (Paris Saint-Germain),
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nasr), Raphael Leroy (AC Milan), Ricardo Orta (SC Braga), Diogo Jota (Liverpool FC), João Felix (Chelsea), Gonzalo Hamus (SL Benfica).