Cristiano Ronaldo Named In Portugal Squad, Set for Historic FIFA World Cup Appearance

Star Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in the Portugal squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and will be one of the very few players to mark an appearance in six editions of the tournament.

Roberto Martinez has announced Portugal’s team for the FIFA World Cup, opting to include four goalkeepers instead of the conventional three. The team also features seven Premier League footballers, including Jose Sa of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Martinez has chosen to leave out Joao Palhinha despite his solid recent displays for Tottenham Hotspur. Geovany Quenda, who is all set to join Chelsea, has also been excluded even after recovering from a foot injury.

Here is the Portugal squad for the FIFA World Cup:

Diogo Costa, José Sá, Rui Silva,

Ricardo Velho, Diogo Dalot, Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Nelson Semedo, João Cancelo, Nuno Mendes, Gonçalo Inácio, Renato Veiga, Tomás Araújo, Rúben Neves, Samu Costa, João Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix, Francisco Trincão, Francisco Conceição, Pedro Neto, Rafael Leão, Gonçalo Guedes, Gonçalo Ramos

Portugal will take on DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia in the group stage of this summer’s FIFA World Cup. They are also scheduled to play warm-up games against Chile and Nigeria next month.

Notably, Portugal and Ronaldo, the all-time leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 goals, have never won the competition.

Ronaldo could face former Barcelona rival Lionel Messi, who is also set to play at a sixth FIFA World Cup after leading Argentina to glory four years ago in Qatar.

Ronaldo avoided a three-match ban despite being sent off against the Republic of Ireland in their last qualifying game for an elbow.

Martinez named a 26-man team with few surprises, retaining Joao Felix, who plays alongside Ronaldo at Al Nassr, while also including goalkeeper Ricardo Velho as an additional option in the team.