Cristiano Ronaldo will play in Nations League finals– Portugal manager

Cristiano Ronaldo will play for hosts Portugal in June’s Nations League finals, says manager Fernando Santos.

The Juventus forward, 34, missed six international games after the World Cup, including the Nations League qualifying campaign, before returning for March’s Euro 2020 qualifiers.

Portugal play Switzerland in their semi-final on 5 June; the winners then face England or the Netherlands.

“He has a constant appreciation and passion for his country,” said Santos.
Santos will name his squad for the inaugural finals on 23 May and said Portugal’s all-time top scorer Ronaldo will “certainly be” selected.

Speaking on Portugal’s Sport TV, he added: “His absence in the qualifying stages was very well explained and was a totally legitimate and understandable decision. He explained us well. We understood that the best way was that he would not be with us in that period.”