Cristiano Ronaldo is in Portugal's preliminary squad for the upcoming Nations League matches. The 41-year-old forward was included by manager Jorge Jesus in the initial list released on Saturday, October 26, for the games against Denmark and Wales.
This call-up comes after a month of enforced absence. Ronaldo was suspended for 30 days and fined 255 euros by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) after leaving the national team camp on September 30. The player was on the bench for the 2-1 win over Norway but did not feature, only taking part in the half-time warm-up. The suspension ends on October 30, paving the way for an immediate return.
The September incident was marked by a public disagreement with Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo accused the coach of not fulfilling prior agreements but later apologised for his departure. The manager, in turn, left the door open for the captain's return. FPF president Pedro Proença had already expressed the federation's desire to see the player back. "What we record at this moment is a desire, first from the FPF, to have the captain quickly with us, a desire already expressed by our coach," said Proença. "This is the time to appeal for calm," he added.
Competitive context
The national team enters this window in excellent form, with four consecutive wins. The most recent was against Norway (2-1), with goals from João Cancelo and Gonçalo Ramos. Prior to that, the team beat Denmark 4-2 away, a match in which Ronaldo scored a goal in the 67th minute, and defeated Norway and Wales in September. This perfect record has already secured Portugal a place in the Nations League quarter-finals. The four-game winning run began with a 1-0 victory over Wales on 24 September, followed by a 2-1 win in Norway on 27 September, a 4-2 triumph in Denmark on 1 October, and the recent 2-1 win over Norway on 4 October.
The next challenge is a rematch with Denmark on November 14 at the Estádio Municipal in Braga. Three days later, the team travels to Cardiff to face Wales. The final squad will be announced on November 6. Ronaldo's return, if confirmed, would provide a fresh boost to a team leading its group with a perfect record and which has scored 10 goals in its last four matches. Gonçalo Ramos, who scored in the 4 October win, is the team's top scorer in this phase.
