Behind him are two and a half decades in the coaching business, and more than half a century spent in football altogether. Yet only now will 72-year-old Jorge Jesus make his debut on the Portugal bench. And it seems he will not be making many changes.The new manager's first squad has not brought any major changes compared to the team that played at the World Cup and was eliminated by Spain in the round of 16. Even 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is still there. He was heavily criticized during the World Cup as someone who should accept that his time is over, but he is still refusing to give up on his pursuit of 1,000 career goals.๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ญ, Cristiano Ronaldo is still going โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐นMessi has stepped away from international football, but Cristiano is still going strong with Portugal ๐ฎโ๐จFor nearly twoโฆ pic.twitter.com/4IhZUiK183โ 433 (@433) September 18, 2026 It is true, of course, that the other big names in the Portuguese team did not exactly shine at the tournament either, but with Ronaldo still above everyone else, his decision to extend his international career is certain to generate the most debate.โIt is true that Ronaldo has a different status, he has won five Ballon d'Or awards, but that is not why I made this decision. He is not here just because he is Cristiano, I tell everyone that. His past is not important. His future is, but I make my decisions based on his performancesโฆ Cris is here like everyone else: if he plays well, he will play. If he doesn't, he won't,โ manager Jesus said in defense of his decision.##EDITORS_CHOICE##As for the others, 24-year-old Benfica goalkeeper Samuel Soares has received his first call-up, while Nuno Tavares, Joao Palhinha and Borussia Dortmund forward Fabio Silva are also included. None of them traveled to the World Cup.Jesus will make his Portugal debut on September 24 against Wales at home, before facing Norway and Denmark away from home. His final match of this international window will be against Norway on October 4, this time on home soil.๐จ๐ต๐น NEW: The Portuguese national team has announced its squad for the upcoming UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE games.Players missing out: โ๏ธBruno Fernandes, Joรฃo Neves, and Vitinha. pic.twitter.com/AB3dwCoLYHโ Legion HQ (@LegionHQ_) September 18, 2026 PORTUGAL SQUADGoalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting), Samuel Soares (Benfica)Defenders: Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Tomas Araujo (Benfica), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Nuno Tavares (Lazio)Midfielders: Joao Palhinha (Benfica), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)Forwards: Francisco Trincao (Al Ahli), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leao (Galatasaray), Joao Felix (Al Nassr), Fabio Silva (Borussia Dortmund), Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)##NAJAVA_MECA_9968575##