[AP]
[AP]

Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, will continue to represent Portugal at the international level.

The Portuguese Football Federation announced Friday (local time) that Ronaldo has been named to a 25-man squad for four A-match fixtures in September and October.

Earlier, Ronaldo said after Portugal's 1-0 round-of-16 loss to Spain at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup in July that the tournament had been his last World Cup, but he stopped short of confirming whether he would retire from the national team altogether.

Speculation about his international retirement had grown after his rival Lionel Messi of Inter Miami, two years his junior, announced his retirement from the Argentina national team. Ronaldo's inclusion in the latest squad puts those retirement rumors to rest for now.

The squad is the first assembled by Jorge Jesus, who took charge of Portugal after the World Cup.

When Jesus was appointed, he said he had not yet spoken with Ronaldo but that the player would "never be a problem for the team or for me." He added: "If he is in a position to be called up, I will call him."

The squad also includes Premier League players Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United, Ruben Dias of Manchester City and Pedro Neto of Chelsea.


balme@heraldcorp.com