Ronaldo will participate in his sixth European Cup

: Portugal’s 39-year-old forward Cristiano Ronaldo will play in his sixth European Championship and veteran defender Pepe also made the cut, with coach Roberto Martinez naming his 26-man squad on Tuesday.

Since his first European Cup appearance in 2004, Ronaldo has scored in every European Cup and has scored 14 goals in the final. He also scored 10 goals in the European qualifiers last year.

Ronaldo currently plays for Saudi Professional League team Al-Nassr, where he has scored 42 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions.

“Cristiano? It’s better to talk about statistics. He’s a player who scored 42 goals in 41 games for the club,” Martinez said.

“It shows his continuity and physical ability to always be fit, as well as his ability in front of goal, which is something we really like and need.”

However, Ronaldo will not be the oldest member of the squad, with Martinez also calling up 41-year-old Porto defender Pepe.

Pepe has been an integral part of the Porto team this year, making 38 appearances for the team that reached the last 16 of the Champions League and finished third in the league behind Sporting Lisbon and Benfica. They also reached the cup final.

“Pepe’s role in the dressing room is important, the way he represents the national team jersey. I think football is a constant struggle during the training camp,” Martinez added.

“It was interesting to see Pepe play two games in March and keep a clean sheet for 90 minutes. His communication, his positioning means that when he is fit he is a very good player. Important player.”

Nine Premier League players were called up, including Ruben Dias, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandez, Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota. Goncalo Inacio is the only Sporting CP player in the squad.

Portugal European Championship squad

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

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

Midfielder: Bruno Fernandez (Manchester United), Joao Neves (Benfica), Joao Palinha (Fulham), Ottavio Monteiro (Al Nasr), Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)

Forwards: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nasr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Francisco Conceicao (Porto), Goncalo Ramo (Paris Saint-Germain), Joao Felix (Barcelona), Pedro Neto (Wolves), Rafael Leao (AC Milan).