Jose Mourinho makes Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo claim

Cristiano Ronaldo’s second stint at Manchester United perhaps shadows over the fact that he is a club legend but the Portuguese icon is without a doubt a footballing icon.

In November 2022, the seasoned forward left Old Trafford by mutual consent after a public falling out with former boss Erik ten Hag.

It left a sour taste in the mouths of many – but, all in all, he scored 145 goals in 346 appearances.

He spent a few months without a club before becoming a trailblazer for Saudi Pro League football, joining Al-Nassr in January 2023.

By virtue of him eyeing the 1,000-goal mark before hanging up his boots, he is still going strong at the age of 41.

Ronaldo is also looking to be included in Roberto Martinez’s 2026 World Cup squad for Portugal – but he wasn’t included in the manager’s most recent selection.

That’s because he has picked up a hamstring injury and has not played a minute for Al-Nassr since February, being forced to miss two league matches.

Hoping to fully recover ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo has missed out on Portugal’s penultimate selection pre-tournament.

Without Ronaldo at the top of the tree at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Martinez’s men recently played out a drab 0-0 draw with Mexico.

Old Trafford duo Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot played against the South American nation – and media from their home country claimed that both players enjoyed decent performances.

Ronaldo, who has endured two spells in Manchester, did not feature for his national team though and Mourinho has claimed they struggled without his expertise.

The current Benfica boss reiterated that Portugal possess very little attacking threat without the five-time Ballon d’Or winner leading the line.

“Take away Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal look like any other average team,” he said, per Calciomercato. “People keep asking not to call him up. Well, he didn’t play today, and you saw the result.

“No danger, no fear from the opponents. Simply a team that’s being pressured by Mexico. When Ronaldo is on the pitch, opponents think twice. Without him, they don’t think at all.”

In February, reports suggested that Mourinho is set to become the manager of the Portugal national team as soon as Martinez’s contracts expires post-World Cup.

Whether Ronaldo is still playing by the time that Mourinho is appointed remains to be seen but the latter will have a plan in place for the former it seems.