Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of Portugal\u2019s squad, announced by head coach Roberto Mart\u00ednez on Friday at Cidade do Futebol, for this month\u2019s friendlies against Mexico and the United States.<\/p>\n
The Al-Nassr forward picked up the injury during a recent Saudi Pro League match. He has since traveled to Spain for rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
The 41-year-old is targeting a return to full fitness ahead of the World Cup, which is expected to be the final major tournament of his illustrious career.<\/p>\n
Roberto Martinez insists his participation in the World Cup is not in doubt. “No, he’s not in danger,” Martinez said. “It’s a minor muscle injury, and we think he can be back in a week or two. Everything Cristiano has done physically this season shows that he’s in great shape.”<\/p>\n
In Ronaldo’s absence, Real Sociedad winger Goncalo Guedes has been given his first national team call-up since 2022.<\/p>\n
West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes earns a first senior call-up after representing Portugal 18 times at the under-21 level.<\/p>\n
Mart\u00ednez included Cristiano’s club teammate Jo\u00e3o F\u00e9lix among the forwards in his 27-man squad.<\/p>\n
SC Braga’s all-time scorer Ricardo Horta was also called up.<\/p>\n
FC Porto’s Rodrigo Mora was called but later taken off the list, due to a thigh injury.<\/p>\n
Several notable players were left off for various physical reasons, including City duo R\u00faben Dias and Bernardo Silva, as well as Tottenham midfielder Jo\u00e3o Palhinha.<\/p>\n
Portugal will play Mexico on March 28 in Mexico City and the United States on March 31 in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
GK:<\/u> Diogo Costa, Jos\u00e9 S\u00e1, Rui Silva<\/p>\n
D:<\/u> Matheus Nunes, Diogo Dalot, Jo\u00e3o Cancelo, Nuno Mendes, Gon\u00e7alo In\u00e1cio, Renato Veiga, Ant\u00f3nio Silva, Tom\u00e1s Ara\u00fajo<\/p>\n
M:<\/u> Ruben Neves, Samu Costa, Mateus Fernandes, Jo\u00e3o Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes<\/p>\n
S:<\/u> Ricardo Horta, Pedro Gon\u00e7alves, Jo\u00e3o F\u00e9lix, Trinc\u00e3o, Concei\u00e7\u00e3o, Pedro Neto, Rafael Le\u00e3o, Gon\u00e7alo Guedes, Gon\u00e7alo Ramos<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of Portugal\u2019s squad, announced by head coach Roberto Mart\u00ednez on Friday at Cidade do Futebol, for this month\u2019s friendlies…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10713,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","wpcat-1-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/NunoMendes.jpeg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdnh7s-31H","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10917,"url":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/roberto-martinez-calls-up-27-players-for-nations-league\/","url_meta":{"origin":11637,"position":0},"title":"Roberto Martinez Calls up 27 Players for Nations League","author":"Psoccer","date":"May 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Roberto Mart\u00ednez has included Cristiano Ronaldo and FC Porto starlet Rodrigo Mora in his 27-player squad for the Nations League semifinals next month. Portugal will play Germany on June 4 in Munich, and Spain and France will meet in the other semifinal. \"Regarding Cristiano's fitness, he is available to play.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/porireland.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/porireland.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/porireland.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/porireland.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/porireland.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11385,"url":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/11385-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":11637,"position":1},"title":"Roberto Martinez Announces Squad Selections for October WCQ","author":"Psoccer","date":"October 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Roberto Mart\u00ednez has announced the 25-man squad for Portugal's World Cup qualifiers against Ireland (Oct. 11) and Hungary (Oct. 14), both at the Jos\u00e9 Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, in Group F action. Matheus Nunes, from Manchester City, is the main new addition, but there are also the returns of Nelson\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/chico.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/chico.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/chico.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/chico.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/chico.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11647,"url":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/paulinho-called-to-selecao-helps-replaces-leao-and-mora\/","url_meta":{"origin":11637,"position":2},"title":"UPDATED SQUAD LIST: Paulinho, Ricardo Velho Called to Sele\u00e7\u00e3o, Helps Replaces Le\u00e3o, Mora, Costa","author":"Psoccer","date":"March 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Roberto Mart\u00ednez has made changes to the squad list for the upcoming friendlies against Mexico and the USA. Martinez called up Paulinho, a forward from Toluca, to replace two injured players. Rodrigo Mora from FC Porto and Rafael Le\u00e3o from AC Milan, who were released due to physical problems. Paulinho\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Paulinho.jpg?fit=828%2C552&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Paulinho.jpg?fit=828%2C552&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Paulinho.jpg?fit=828%2C552&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Paulinho.jpg?fit=828%2C552&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11269,"url":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/portugal-x-hungary-wcq-preview\/","url_meta":{"origin":11637,"position":3},"title":"Portugal x Hungary WCQ Preview","author":"Administrator","date":"September 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Portugal continues their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign on Tuesday when it travels to Budapest to face Hungary at the Pusk\u00e1s Arena. Kickoff is set for 19:45 Portugal time. Roberto Mart\u00ednez\u2019s side enters the match full of confidence after a commanding 5-0 victory over Armenia, highlighted by braces from\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Vitinha.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Vitinha.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Vitinha.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Vitinha.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Vitinha.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11213,"url":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/martinez-to-announce-world-cup-qualifier-squad-on-friday-for-armenia-hungary-matches\/","url_meta":{"origin":11637,"position":4},"title":"Martinez to Announce World Cup Qualifier Squad on Friday for Armenia & Hungary Matches","author":"Psoccer","date":"August 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The announcement date for the next national team call-up is available. Roberto Mart\u00ednez will announce his squad for the first two matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Friday, August 29, at 12:30 p.m., at Cidade do Futebol. The national team manager will reveal the players for the matches\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/NunoMendes.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/NunoMendes.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/NunoMendes.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/NunoMendes.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/NunoMendes.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11231,"url":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/11231-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":11637,"position":5},"title":"Neves Inherits Jota’s No. 21 jersey, Portugal Announce Squad Selections for Armenia & Hungary WCQ","author":"Administrator","date":"August 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Portugal National Team Manager Roberto Martinez on Friday announced his squad selections for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in September. Portugal will play Armenia on Saturday, September 6, in Yerevan, before traveling to Budapest to face Hungary on Tuesday, September 9. Martinez said they will be \u201ccarrying the spirit of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Djota1920x1080.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Djota1920x1080.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Djota1920x1080.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Djota1920x1080.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Djota1920x1080.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11637"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11645,"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11637\/revisions\/11645"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soccernoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}