Ronaldo ends retirement speculation as Portugal name Nations League squad

Dallas: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal reacts during the round of 16 match between Spain and Portugal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Dallas Stadium in Dallas, the United States, July 6, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua via IANS)

Lisbon, (IANS) Cristiano Ronaldo has ended speculation over his international future after being named in Portugal’s squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures, with new head coach Jorge Jesus including the veteran forward in his first selection.

Ronaldo had refused to confirm whether he would continue playing for Portugal after their FIFA World Cup 2026 round-of-16 defeat to eventual champions Spain in July. The 41-year-old had also indicated that the tournament would be his final World Cup but had not announced his retirement from international football.

His inclusion in Jesus’ first Portugal squad now confirms that Ronaldo remains available for national team duty as the European side begin a new chapter under their new head coach.

Jesus was appointed to replace Roberto Martinez following Portugal’s World Cup exit. The former Al-Nassr coach is also familiar with Ronaldo, having worked with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner at club level in Saudi Arabia, where the duo won the league title last season.

Jesus, however, stressed that Ronaldo would not receive preferential treatment under his management.

“All the called-up players are at my disposal; if he performs well, he plays. If he doesn’t perform well, he doesn’t play. That’s how I treat everyone," Jesus told reporters.

Ronaldo remains the leading scorer in men’s international football with 146 goals and is also chasing the landmark of 1,000 career goals. He currently has 979 goals across club and international football.

Jesus believes Ronaldo is likely to reach the milestone with Al-Nassr rather than Portugal.

“I think he’s more likely to score his thousandth goal for Al-Nassr than for the Portuguese national team,” Jesus said.

Portugal will begin their Nations League campaign at home against Wales on September 24 before travelling to face Norway three days later. They will then take Denmark away on October 1 before hosting Norway on October 4.

Portugal Squad:

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Rui Silva, and Samuel Soares.

Defenders: Goncalo Inacio, Renato Veiga, Ruben Dias, Tomas Araujo, Joao Cancelo, Diogo Dalot, Nuno Tavares, and Nuno Mendes.

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes, Joao Palhinha, Ruben Neves, Joao Neves, Vitinha, and Bernardo Silva.Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Fabio Silva, Trincao, Francisco Conceicao, Goncalo Ramos, Joao Felix, Pedro Neto, Rafael Leao. Ronaldo ends retirement speculation as Portugal name Nations League squad | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........ → September 19, 2026

Dia Mirza advocates for clean air: It is not a privilege but a human right

Mumbai: Actor Dia Mirza graces the launch of AZA’s newest store in Mumbai on Thursday, August 13, 2026. (Photo: IANS)

Mumbai, (IANS) Actress Dia Mirza is also an environmentalist and often uses social media to share her views on the various issues pertaining to the massive climate change. On Monday, Dia used Clean Air Day to remind all that air pollution is not only an environmental problem, but also a public health crisis.

Dia uploaded a video on her IG saying, "Think of a child running onto a football field, a teenager training for a race, children cycling, playing cricket, and simply being outdoors. Every time they run harder, they breathe deeper. In too many parts of our country, that means breathing polluted air into developing lungs and bodies."

Dia revealed that back in 2021, air pollution resulted in around 2.1 million deaths in India. Not just that, more than 700,000 children under the age of five died due to polluted air across the globe.

She further went on to list the people who are worst affected by this declining air quality.

"But this burden is not shared equally. Communities living beside highways, landfills, construction sites, factories, and power plants face greater exposure. So do street vendors, traffic police, sanitation workers, and construction workers, people who work outdoors and cannot retreat indoors when the air becomes dangerous. They are on the front lines of polluted earth."

Dia said that in working towards cleaner air, we also work towards a better environment.

"Cleaner energy, reliable, affordable public transport, cleaner industries, no open waste burning, better construction practices, more walking, cycling, and green open spaces. Strong air quality monitoring and accountability when standards are violated," she continued.

Dia reiterated that clear air should not be seen as a privilege but as a human right."This International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, let us remember every child deserves to run, play, learn, and grow without their next breath causing harm. Clean air is a high return investment. Clean air is climate action. Clean air is public health. Clean air is a human right", the actress concluded. Dia Mirza advocates for clean air: It is not a privilege but a human right | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........ → September 16, 2026