OFFICIAL: Cristiano Ronaldo included in Portugal squad for upcoming UEFA Nations League S/F clash

Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in Portugal's squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League semi-final clash against Germany on June 4 in Munich. Manager Roberto Martinez announced the list of players called up for the final phase of the competition on Tuesday, May 20.

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Portugal topped Group A1 to advance to the knockout stages and defeated Denmark 5-3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals to secure their spot in the last four. The first leg ended in favour of the Danes, with Rasmus Hojlund's 78th-minute strike bailing them out with a win.

However, the tables turned in the second leg. Skipper Cristiano Ronaldo scored once in the reverse fixture, which the Selecao won 5-2 after extra time. With six goals to his tally, Ronaldo has the opportunity to emerge as the top scorer of this edition.

He is three goals short of the current top scorer, Viktor Gyokeres, and one short of Norwegian forward Erling Haaland. He will get at most two fixtures to outwit the aforementioned forwards.

Notably, the semi-final won't be a double-legged fixture. Hence, the winner of this game will make their way to the final, which will be played on June 8 in Munich. The third-place clash will also take place on the same day, but in Stuttgart.

Cristiano Ronaldo eyeing second UEFA Nations League title

The UEFA Nations League was introduced in 2018, and the inaugural edition was won by Portugal. The then manager, Fernando Santos, led the side to a 1-0 victory in the final over the Netherlands, with Goncalo Guedes scoring the solitary goal.

This was Cristiano Ronaldo's second international trophy, after his triumph in the 2016 Euros. This time out, the Portuguese skipper has a chance to win the competition once again. His team is in red-hot form, having won five games, drawn two, and lost just once.

However, up against them will be Julian Nagelsmann's Germany, who have never played the Nations League final, and are yet to lose a game in the current campaign. They outplayed Italy in the quarter-finals to book a place in this tie, and a home advantage might help bring out their best game.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the active international top scorer with 136 goals, will aim to win the Nations League to boost the country's morale ahead of the FIFA World Cup next year.

About the author

Sattyik is a football writer at Sportskeeda with over 3 years of experience. He has completed his post-graduation in Journalism and Mass Communication (MA), and has previously worked for Khel Now and also Sportskeeda’s Indian Sports and Indian Football division.

Sattyik has been following the sport since his childhood as his parents are ardent Mohun Bagan supporters and also members of the club. He has, however, been supporting their rivals East Bengal since 2008. He was also part of a local football academy, specializing in central defense, but had to switch focus to studies. Among European teams, he follows Manchester United and their stalwart captain Nemanja Vidic.

Sattyik has interviewed multiple footballers like Alberto Noguera, Javier Siverio, Edu Bedia among others. He is always on the lookout for new stories and strives to share them within appropriate timelines.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho are Sattyik’s other favorite footballers. Among managers, he admires Sir Alex Ferguson, Xabi Alonso, Carlo Ancelotti, Johan Cruyff and Jose Mourinho because of their achievements and how they revolutionized the sport.

Sattyik was inspired by the grit and determination shown by Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final as they came back from 3-0 down against AC Milan to win the trophy. When not working, he enjoys his time with books and music.

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Edited by Yash Singh