Cristiano Ronaldo will play at a record sixth European Championship after being named in Portugal's squad for this summer's tournament in Germany.

Ronaldo, 39, is one of 26 players selected by coach Roberto Martinez on Tuesday. He previously shared the record of five European Championships with Spain's legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

"Regarding Cristiano, it's better to talk about the data," Martinez said of the Al Nassr forward on Tuesday. "He is a player who scores 42 goals in 42 games for his club, and this shows his continuity and physical ability to always be fit, in addition to the quality he has in front of goal that we really like and need."

Ronaldo is the highest all-time international scorer in men's competitions with 128 goals.

Newly-crowned champions Bernardo Silva and Rúben Dias of Manchester City are two of nine Premier League players in the group. Manchester United pair Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, who will face City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, were also included.

FC Porto defender Pepe is the oldest player in the Portugal squad at 41.

"Pepe's role in the locker room is important, the way he represents the national team shirt," Martinez said. "When he is fit, he is a very important player. We have a very interesting dressing room because we have players from different generations.

"We have a good mix of experience and youngsters. It's a list of 26 players that will give a good response."

Martinez also named midfielder Vitinha, a key performer for Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. João Félix, who spent the season at Barcelona on loan from Atlético Madrid, has also made the cut.

Benfica's João Neves has been included. Neves, 19, was named midfielder of the month in the Primeira Liga six times this season.

Defender Gonçalo Inacio is the only player on the list representing Portuguese champions Sporting CP.

In addition to Ronaldo, two other players competing in Saudi Arabia have been included: Al Nassr's Otavio and Al Hilal's Rúben Neves.

"Decisions have to do with the level at which the players are at," Martinez said. "The level of competition is not a problem, it is more a question of the number of minutes, games, personal moment and role in the national team."

Wolves defender Toti and City midfielder Matheus Nunes were omitted from the squad.

"They [Toti and Nunes] had a role in qualifying and without a doubt have a future in the national team," Martinez said.

Portugal, the 2016 European champions, kick off their Group F campaign against Czechia on June 18. They also play Turkey and debutants Georgia in the first stage.

Source:
courtesy of ESPN

by Adriana Garcia

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