Cristiano Ronaldo called up by Portugal, but Jorge Jesus doesn’t see him scoring goal No. 1000 on national team

Here we go again. Cristiano Ronaldo has been called up by Portugal’s new manager, Jorge Jesus—who previously coached him at Al-Nassr—and expectations surrounding the legend remain as high as ever. However, Jesus quickly downplayed the idea that Ronaldo will automatically serve as the centerpiece of his squad.

“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.

Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal

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.

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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