Cristiano Ronaldo Returns In International Football? Star Footballer Named In Portugal Squad By Jorge Jesus

Cristiano Ronaldo features in Portugal's squad for the upcoming Nations League games, premierleague.com reported, giving a first clear sign that the 41-year-old still has a place under new coach Jorge Jesus.

Ronaldo said this summer's World Cup would be his last, premierleague.com reported. But he has not said when he plans to retire from international football. The timeline matters because he will be 43 when the 2028 European Championship, the next major tournament, is held.

Jesus named the squad on Friday. Ronaldo's inclusion puts fresh focus on both Portugal's Nations League campaign and on how long the striker plans to continue at international level.

Jesus Takes Charge

This is Jesus's first Portugal squad.

He was hired to replace Spaniard Roberto Martinez after Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the round of 16 of the World Cup, according to hindustantimes.com. The change gives Jesus an immediate call on Ronaldo.

Jesus also knows Ronaldo well. His previous coaching job was at Ronaldo's club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where they won the league together last season.

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Jesus On Ronaldo

Jesus made his position clear.

Jesus said, "all the called-up players are at my disposal."

He then set out the standard Ronaldo will be judged by. "If he performs well, he plays. If he doesn't perform well, he doesn't play. That's how I treat everyone," Jesus said.

But Jesus also acknowledged Ronaldo's standing. "Now, does Cris have a different status? Yes. His career is different," he said. "He has five Ballon d'Or awards. But does that influence my decisions? No. It doesn't influence anything, zero, but he is different from the others."

The 72-year-old Jesus has also coached several Portuguese clubs, including Benfica and Sporting CP.

Ronaldo's Milestones

Ronaldo still leads the scoring charts.

He is the leading scorer in men's international football with 146 goals and has 979 career goals, according to wikipedia.org. His biggest achievement with Portugal remains the 2016 Euros title, which he helped the team win.

He is also chasing 1,000 career goals. Ronaldo currently has 979, leaving him 21 short of the mark.

Jesus does not expect that landmark to come with Portugal. "I think he's more likely to score his thousandth goal for Al Nassr than for the Portuguese national team," Jesus said.

Nations League Schedule

Portugal begin their Nations League campaign with four fixtures in quick succession

• Portugal host Wales on Sept. 24

• Portugal play Norway away on Sept. 27

• Portugal play in Denmark on Oct. 1

• Portugal host Norway on Oct. 4