Pushing the limits — Ronaldo leads a star-studded Portugal squad at record sixth World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make history after being included in Portugal’s preliminary 27-player squad for this summer’s World Cup. If he takes the field, the veteran forward will become the first male player ever to appear in six different World Cup tournaments. Lionel Messi could also reach that milestone should he be selected by Argentina.

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez revealed the squad on Tuesday, featuring several of the nation’s biggest stars including Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Joao Neves, and Nuno Mendes. The squad currently contains four goalkeepers, though one will be omitted before the final roster deadline.

Among the more unexpected selections are Goncalo Guedes, who has revived his international career after returning to the Portugal setup earlier this year following a four-year absence, and Mallorca midfielder Samuel Costa, who has only four senior caps.

Costa’s inclusion means experienced names such as Joao Palhinha and Mateus Fernandes miss out. Palhinha, currently at Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Bayern Munich, has been a regular for Portugal in recent years, while Fernandes earned his first cap this season.

Several notable players have also been left out of Martinez’s plans, including Benfica defender Antonio Silva and attacking options Paulinho, Pedro Goncalves, Ricardo Horta, and Porto prospect Ricardo Mora.

Portugal head into the tournament as one of the strongest contenders and will be aiming to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time in their history. Their best previous performances came with semi-final appearances in 1966 and 2006. Drawn into Group K, Portugal will face Colombia, Uzbekistan, and DR Congo.

Martinez already guided the national side to UEFA Nations League glory last season after defeating Spain in the final, and preparations for the World Cup will continue with friendly matches against Chile on June 6 and Nigeria on June 10.

Portugal preliminary World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Jose Sa, Rui Silva, Ricardo Velho

Defenders: Joao Cancelo, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes, Ruben Dias, Goncalo Inacio, Diogo Dalot, Tomas Araujo, Renato Veiga, Nelson Semedo

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Neves, Vitinha, Ruben Neves, Samuel Costa

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Goncalo Ramos, Rafael Leao, Francisco Trincao, Joao Felix, Pedro Neto, Francisco Conceicao, Goncalo Guedes