Ronaldo to lead Portugal into record 6th Euros; Pepe, 41, called up

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LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make a record sixth appearance at the European Championship with Portugal’s squad.

Ronaldo was among the 26 players picked for the tournament in Germany by coach Roberto Martinez on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old Ronaldo first played in the competition in 2004, and led the national team to the title in 2016.

There had been some doubts about whether Ronaldo would continue playing with the national team after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but he has remained a key player in Martinez's squad.

Also in the list was veteran Pepe, the 41-year-old Porto defender who will play in his fifth Euro.

Among those not included were forward Francisco Trincao, midfielder Pedro Goncalves and striker Ricardo Horta. Raphael Guerreiro was dropped after injuring his ankle with Bayern Munich a few weeks ago.

Two of the surprises included forwards Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton and Francisco Conceicao of Porto.

Portugal is in Group F with the Czech Republic, Turkey and Georgia. It will play three warm-up games in June against Finland, Croatia and Ireland.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton), Rui Patricio (Roma)

Defenders: Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nelson Semedo (Wolverhampton), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Danilo Pereira (PSG), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Pepe (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting Lisbon)

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Neves (Benfica), Palhinha (Fulham), Otavio (Al Nassr), Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Vitinha (PSG), Bernardo Silva (Man City)

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Francisco Conceicao (Porto), Goncalo Ramos (PSG), Joao Felix (Barcelona), Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton), Rafael Leao (AC Milan)