There’s no reason to panic about this substitution though, as Ronaldo doesn’t have any injury. Portugal coach Jorge Jesus is simply managing his workload at the start of a demanding international break packed with four games.

The Al Nassr star left the field 67 minutes into the game to make room for Goncalo Ramos, with Portugal leading 1-0 thanks to Joao Felix’s first-half goal. Ronaldo received a standing ovation as he left the field, with the home crowd aware that they’re witnessing his final matches on the international stage.

Substitution vs Wales leaves Ronaldo waiting for 980 career goals

Ronaldo’s substitution came just minutes after having a goal disallowed for offside. The 41-year-old had sent the stadium wild by finding the net with his left foot, but the VAR review quickly overturned the initial decision.

This leaves Ronaldo at 979 career goals and 146 for Portugal, a record on the international level. It wasn’t meant to be today, but make no mistake: Cristiano is far from done, and he will have multiple opportunities to reach 980 career goals soon.

When is Ronaldo playing again with Portugal?

Portugal return to action on Sunday, Sep. 27, when they visit Norway for a blockbuster showdown where Ronaldo could face Erling Haaland. We’ll have to wait and see, but perhaps this explains why Cristiano was subbed off today, giving him more time to rest and recover for the upcoming fixture.

Four days later, Portugal continue their trip away from home to face Denmark on Oct. 1, concluding their four-game international window with a home match against Norway on Oct. 4.

Key takeaways

• Workload management prompted the substitution by Jorge Jesus, with no injury concerns involved.
• Cristiano Ronaldo left the field 67 minutes into the game for Goncalo Ramos.
• Sunday, Sep. 27 is when Portugal visit Norway for their next match.

Cristiano Ronaldo proved to be one of the top performers on the pitch, orchestrating the attack and creating several dangerous opportunities. While the Portuguese superstar had a goal disallowed for offside and put multiple shots on target, he ultimately couldn’t add to his international goal tally and was subbed off.

With a winning start under their belt on Matchday 1 of the 2026–28 UEFA Nations League, Portugal and Ronaldo now turn their attention to a showdown against Norway in Oslo on September 27 as they look to build early momentum in group play.

Cristiano Ronaldo will start for Portugal today against Wales, something head coach Jorge Jesus had already confirmed on Wednesday. Jesus addressed the squad’s tactical balance and Ronaldo’s role, emphasizing performance over past accomplishments.

As the Portuguese side looks to integrate a new wave of talent to support its veteran core, the objective remains clear: establish the foundation needed to capture another Nations League crown and build momentum toward Euro 2028.

Following Lionel Messi’s retirement from international duty with Argentina, fans at Estadio Jose Alvalade recognize the rarity of these remaining moments on the pitch. The home crowd will gather in Lisbon eager to witness what could be one of Ronaldo’s final competitive appearances on home soil.

Confirmed lineup for Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo

While Jorge Jesus has kept his starting eleven under wraps, Portugal will rely heavily on the core framework that anchored its squad during the 2026 World Cup.

Here is the confirmed lineup for Portugal:

• Goalkeeper: Diogo Costa
• Defenders: Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes
• Midfielders: Ruben Neves, Vitinha, Pedro Neto, Bruno Fernandes
• Forwards: Joao Félix, Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal aims to start on the right foot in Group A4 against Wales. A strong opening performance would not only propel Portugal’s quest to defend its trophy, but also move Ronaldo one step closer to the historic milestone of 1,000 career goals.

Key takeaways

• Portugal opens its UEFA Nations League title defense against Wales in Matchday 1.
• Head coach Jorge Jesus gave a clear statement on Cristiano Ronaldo’s starting status.
• The forward continues his pursuit of reaching his 1,000th career goal.

“Will this be my final year? Maybe. We’ll see. We’ll also see how my body feels. I really don’t know. I’m saying this from the heart,” Ronaldo said regarding his future for both club and country. His comments came shortly after Lionel Messi announced his final match with Argentina during this international friendly window.

Ronaldo has long cemented his legacy as the greatest player in Portuguese history, surpassing Eusebio, the icon who led the national team to a historic third-place finish at the 1966 World Cup.

Jesus, who also managed Ronaldo at Al Nassr when the superstar captured his first official silverware with the Saudi side, noted that while Ronaldo’s quest for 1,000 career goals continues, the milestone won’t be reached solely in a Portugal shirt.

Ronaldo weighs in on his physical readiness to represent Portugal

Now 41, Ronaldo faced questions about his physical readiness to lead Portugal at the start of another Nations League campaign. The captain delivered an emphatic response to reporters.

“Yes, and I’m still proving that I’m capable of being here. You have to prove yourself every day, and I’ve shown with both my clubs and the national team that I’m still scoring goals,“ Ronaldo said when addressing the demands of international soccer.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career highlights

While a World Cup trophy has eluded him, Ronaldo captained Portugal to its first major international trophy at Euro 2016, followed by the inaugural Nations League crown. Here is a look at his record-breaking international resume:

• Appearances: 233 caps
• Goals: 146 goals
• Hat-tricks: 10 international hat-tricks
• Major Trophies: UEFA Euro 2016, UEFA Nations League (2019)

Key takeaways

• Cristiano Ronaldo hinted that the current season might be his last for club and country.
• Head coach Jorge Jesus noted the superstar’s pursuit of 1,000 career goals continues.
• The 41-year-old forward has accumulated 146 goals across 233 international appearances for Portugal.

“I don’t know, but I think he’s more likely to score his 1,000th career goal with Al-Nassr than with the Portugal national team,” Jesus noted when asked about the possibility of Ronaldo hitting the milestone during the UEFA Nations League fixtures.

Jesus emphasized that Ronaldo will be treated like any other player on the roster, making it clear that playing time will be earned on merit rather than reputation, after what happened in the 2026 World Cup, with Cristiano not having the best performance.

With Lionel Messi recently capturing headlines by scoring his 100th goal for Inter Miami, Ronaldo faces another pivotal moment in his career as he prepares for what could be his final season as a professional.

Portugal’s full squad announced by Jorge Jesus

Looking at the roster, Portugal are giving several players an opportunity to prove themselves as the national team builds toward UEFA Euro 2028, where they hope to capture the trophy for the second time in country history.

Here is the full squad selected by Jorge Jesus for his international managerial debut:

• Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting CP), Samuel Soares (Benfica)
• Defenders: Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Tomas Araujo (Benfica), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Nuno Tavares (Lazio), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona)
• Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Joao Palhinha (Benfica), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal)
• Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Rafael Leao (Galatasaray), Goncalo Ramos (AC Milan), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Fabio Silva (Borussia Dortmund), Francisco Trincao (Al-Ahli), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus)

Portugal’s opponents in upcoming UEFA Nations League matches

As a former champion of the tournament, Portugal begin their pursuit of another title with four group-stage matches on the horizon. Here is a look at their upcoming schedule:

• Portugal vs. Wales – Sept. 24, 6:45 PM ET
• Norway vs. Portugal – Sept. 27, 6:45 PM ET
• Denmark vs. Portugal – Oct. 1, 6:45 PM ET
• Portugal vs. Norway – Oct. 4, 6:45 PM ET

Well, the Portuguese star had already surpassed that number in Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo boasts 132 goals in an Al Nassr jersey across all competitions.

The Messi vs Ronaldo App, which details every single stat of the soccer legends, shows that CR7 reached that number of goals in 155 appearances for the Riyadh-based club.

Messi, meanwhile, reached the 100th goal mark in 115 games in South Florida. The Argentine icon can also take pride in providing 56 assists for Inter Miami, which top Ronaldo’s 23 assists for Al Nassr.

Messi vs Ronaldo: The race to 1,000 career goals

Looking at the bigger picture, Messi also took another step forward in the quest for 1,000 career goals. With his header against Cruz Azul, Messi reached 929 career goals.

Ronaldo is on pace to reaching the 1,000th goal mark sooner though, as the Al Nassr superstar has 979 career goals to his name. Ronaldo reached that number in a recent Saudi Pro League fixture vs. Abha.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Headers

Messi’s goal against Cruz Azul was also his sixth header with Inter Miami and 31st in his entire career. Ronaldo boasts 17 headers for Al Nassr and 158 throughout his career, but the difference here is completely logical. Let’s keep in mind that Messi is 5’7″, whereas CR7 is 6’2”. Even so, the Argentine star’s height hasn’t prevented him from winning aerial duels throughout his career.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Titles after European stints

Messi’s header and eventual assist for Casemiro led Inter Miami’s 2-0 win over Cruz Azul to lift the 2026 Campeones Cup, which is Leo’s fourth title in the United States after the 2023 Leagues Cup, 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield, and 2025 MLS Cup. The Campeones Cup has a question mark though since FIFA doesn’t recognize it as an official title. But Messi can still win more trophies with Inter Miami in 2026.

Something similar happens with Ronaldo as the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup won by Al Nassr doesn’t count as an official title by FIFA. But Cristiano then won the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr.

The Rahimi brothers had a dream afternoon on their home turf. Houssine scored a brace, while Soufiane added the third. Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis sealed the final score for his team.

For Ange Postecoglou’s side, it will be a matter of regrouping after a tough setback at the start of the competition. With time to prepare, Ronaldo and his teammates will look to secure their first win in Matchday 2 and reignite their hopes of challenging near the top of the table.

Ruben Neves was taunted by fans as they chanted the name of his late friend Diogo Jota, who tragically passed away in a car accident. Neves’ Al Hilal were playing away at Al Taawoun. Neves reprehended the actions and said “I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did.”

Cristiano Ronaldo also voiced his disgust with the fans’ actions on social media. CR7 said, “The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behavior, this is no longer football, and there have to be limits. People who behave like this should never be allowed to enter a stadium again.”

Saudi Pro League should take action

One thing is mocking a player, another one entirely is to taunt one by chanting the name of a friend who passed away in tragic fashion. As Ronaldo said, that is no longer a soccer fan behavior.

The Saudi Pro League hasn’t issued any statement as of yet, but those actions have caused outrage around the world. When a voice like Cristiano’s ask for such a vehement punishment, the league risks another strike if the higher ups don’t take actions into the matter.

Neves and Jota were very close

Neves and Jota were actually best friends. In fact, after Jota’s accident, Neves got a tattoo of both him and Jota embracing in his calf. There were very close. Hence, it was a huge low blow to make those chants.

In a post across his main social media channels, Ronaldo shared an image from the victory alongside the caption “Hard work pays off.” While it could refer to his recovery and rest phase following the 2026 World Cup, it could easily serve as an indirect reminder that he should still be considered for such individual awards.

Ronaldo remains effective and continues to score as fans have grown accustomed to seeing him do so. Against Abha, he converted a trademark goal: connecting with a fine cross into the box, Cristiano rose above everyone else to direct a header toward the far post that proved unstoppable for the opposing goalkeeper.

Getting closer to 1,000 goals

With the goal, Cristiano Ronaldo clears his path forward, as the Portuguese star now has 979 career strikes. He sits just 21 goals away from becoming the first player in history to register 1,000 completely verified and video-documented goals.

This statistical precision sets him apart from past legends like Brazil’s Romario or Pele, who claimed to have surpassed 1,000 goals without possessing a reliable audiovisual record for each of their achievements.

Breakdown of Ronaldo’s 979 official goals

At 41 years old, as he continues to demonstrate his quality and why he is already one of the sport’s greatest legends, the Portuguese star’s FIFA-sanctioned goals are distributed across the Portugal national team and his respective professional clubs as follows:

• Real Madrid (Spain): 450 goals
• Portugal: 146 goals
• Manchester United (England): 145 goals
• Al-Nassr (Saudi Arabia): 132 goals
• Juventus (Italy): 101 goals
• Sporting CP (Portugal): 5 goals
• CAREER TOTAL: 979 goals

With the goal, Cristiano moves a bit closer on the goalscoring table, but he faces a competitor who is well ahead of the field in Ivan Toney, who already has eight goals in the Saudi Pro League in just six matches.

CR7 has work to do if he wants to contend for the league’s top scorer title, but his capabilities are well known, especially with the season just getting underway. However, time will tell how things progress, particularly with the now-41-year-old forward as age begins to factor in.

How many career goals does CR7 have and how close is he to 1,000?

With his latest strike against Abha in domestic play, fans ask a major question: how many goals does Cristiano Ronaldo have? The Portuguese forward’s official career tally reached 979 goals, an extraordinary record spanning his time with various clubs and the Portugal national team.

Analyzing CR7’s current numbers, the path to the landmark milestone is closer than ever: the striker sits just 21 goals away from reaching the golden 1,000-goal mark; meanwhile, he was snubbed from the Ballon D’Or list.

If he maintains his recent scoring pace for Al-Nassr, the historic milestone appears to be only a matter of time for world soccer’s all-time leading goalscorer.

What’s next for Al-Nassr and Ronaldo?

Al-Nassr will look to chase success this season with Ballon d’Or nominee Sadio Mane and a still-vital Ronaldo. The next step for the club is a Saudi Pro League matchup against Al-Khaleej on Saturday, Sept. 12, followed by the start of their AFC Champions League campaign against Al Ain on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

The opening goal for Real Madrid stemmed from a defensive error by the visitors. Yann Bisseck lost possession on the way out; Brahim Diaz, who started in place of Bernardo Silva and Arda Guler, provided a one-touch assist, and Mbappe beat Alessandro Bastoni in a one-on-one to open the scoring.

With his goal against Inter, Mbappe reached 71 Champions League goals, tying fellow Real Madrid icon Raul Gonzalez for fifth on the all-time list. Notably, Mbappe achieved the mark in 99 matches compared to Raul’s 142.

69 goals behind Cristiano Ronaldo

Four historic names still stand ahead of him: Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, and all-time leader Cristiano Ronaldo, who sits at 140 goals. A 69-goal gap still separates Mbappe from Ronaldo, leaving a long road ahead.

Here is how the top UEFA Champions League goalscorers stand following the Frenchman’s strike:

• 140: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus)
• 129: Lionel Messi (ARG, Barcelona, PSG)
• 109: Robert Lewandowski (POL, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona)
• 90: Karim Benzema (FRA, Lyon, Real Madrid)
• 71: Raul Gonzalez (ESP, Real Madrid, Schalke)
• 71: Kylian Mbappe (FRA, Monaco, PSG, Real Madrid)

Mbappe standing out as the star

Despite a period of uncertainty for Real Madrid last season, Mbappe continued to excel and demonstrate why he is among the top players on the planet, even finishing as the top scorer. Before kick-off, Mbappe received his award from Luis Figo for finishing as last season’s tournament top scorer with 15 goals.

In Jose Mourinho’s return, Mbappe will continue to play a central role, with the Champions League serving as the ideal stage. Inter shot themselves in the foot again before the half-hour mark, with Martinez attempting a Cruyff turn in his own box, only for Federico Valverde to poke the ball away from him and into the net. Real Madrid ended up winning the game 2-1.