Veteran Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo will lead his country to the 2026 World Cup this summer (June 11-July 19) after coach Roberto Martinez included the 41-year-old in the squad.

The former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United star, now part of Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, will play in a World Cup for the sixth time. Ronaldo is the best scorer of the “Lusitanians” with 143 goals, while both he and Portugal have not won this trophy. Ronaldo may also have Messi as an opponent in this event, as ‘Pleshti’ will lead Argentina for the sixth time in a World Cup, with ‘Albiceleste’ who are the reigning champions after their triumph in Qatar 2022.

Portugal will compete for the passage to the knockout phase directly against Uzbekistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia. Martinez has decided to invite 27 footballers to the World Cup, where in the end one must remain off the list.

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves), Rui Silva (Sporting), Ricardo Velho (Genclerbirligi).

Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Ruben Dias (Manchester City) Guedes (Real Sociedad), Goncalo Ramos (PSG), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr).

Source: prizrenpost