Cristiano Ronaldo will play for Portugal against Luis Enrique’s side in the Uefa Nations League on Thursday.
From 2009 to 2013, the experienced forward spent nine trophy-laden seasons in La Liga with Real Madrid, followed by four years in Italy with Juventus and a return to Manchester United last summer.
Despite Ronaldo’s 24 goals in all competitions, his return to England has not gone according to plan, as United failed to win any silverware or even qualify for the Champions League, finishing sixth, 35 points behind champions Manchester City.
Now Ronaldo’s focus shifts to Portugal’s national team, which will play four Nations League games in June, beginning with a match against Spain at Real Betis’ Benito Villamarin Stadium on Thursday, followed by two home games against Switzerland and the Czech Republic, and finally a match against the Swiss in Geneva.
The likes of AC Milan’s Serie A-winning winger Rafael Leao, Manchester City’s Premier League-clinching combo Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo, and Diogo Jota – who came within a whisker of a historic quadruple with Liverpool – were out on the training pitch with Ronaldo on Wednesday.
