According to Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh, Al Nassr FC have received an official letter from the Portuguese Football Federation requesting that Ronaldo and other players from the club join the national team squad.

This means Ronaldo is expected to be selected for the new Portugal squad and could play in the UEFA Nations League matches against Denmark and Wales.

Ronaldo, 41, had previously been included in the preliminary squad for November’s matches, paving the way for his return to the national team.

On September 30, Ronaldo left the Portugal training camp after a disagreement with the coaching staff, and the Portuguese Football Federation’s disciplinary committee imposed a 30-day suspension. With the suspension now over, Ronaldo can return to the national team.

Ronaldo had earlier apologized to Portuguese fans for leaving the camp and said he was willing to accept any punishment. His return is expected to strengthen Portugal’s squad options ahead of the matches against Denmark and Wales.

President Bola Tinubu says performing Umrah is a deeply spiritual experience for him, describing it as an opportunity to pray for Nigeria and its citizens.

Tinubu spoke in an Aso Rock video posted on his X page after performing Umrah, also known as the lesser hajj, early Friday morning in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

“I am grateful to Almighty Allah for the privilege of performing Umrah here in Saudi Arabia,” Tinubu said.

“This is a deeply spiritual moment for me, and an opportunity to offer prayers for our beloved country, Nigeria, and all our people.

“May Almighty Allah accept our prayers and supplications, grant our nation lasting peace, strengthen our unity, protect our people, and bless our collective efforts to build a more prosperous Nigeria.

“May He grant us wisdom and strength in the service of our nation and accept our Ibadah.”

Tinubu said the religious exercise is also significant to him because of his love for Nigerians, commitment to his responsibilities and faith in God.

“I believe this Umrah is very significant for the love of our people, commitment to the job and our country, Nigeria; commitment to the will of Allah that his words must prevail, and that there’s no other God but Allah and he’s the only one that makes a human being what he can be and what he would be in life,” he added.

“We just pray for our nation. We pray for everyone to be well, to live in harmony and faith in God almighty.”

The president arrived at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on Thursday evening and was received by Yakubu Gambo, Nigeria’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Ahmad bin Thafir, the Saudi head of royal protocol.

Michael Owen has told British magazine “442” that he did not receive the recognition that usually comes with winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001.

Owen won the Ballon d’Or at the age of 22, after an extraordinary season with Liverpool in which the club won a cup treble: the League Cup, the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup.

2001 was also the year Owen scored a hat-trick in England’s 5-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Germany. The match, played in Munich, cemented his reputation as England’s most lethal striker.

To win the highest individual honor in football, Owen beat a field of stars that included Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Raúl, Rivaldo, England team-mate David Beckham and Luís Figo.

Owen said: “I don’t think I got the recognition I should have got when I won the Ballon d’Or. In our country, the Ballon d’Or was never that important. When I was in Spain, they called me a hero for winning it. I am incredibly proud to have received this honor.

“I look back at the list of winners, and I still have it saved on my phone: a picture of the points table, showing who finished second, third, fourth and so on.

“When you look at that list, it’s amazing. It’s what I always dreamed of as a child. I didn’t just want to be a footballer; I wanted to be the best footballer. Looking back now, I appreciate winning the Ballon d’Or even more than I did when I was playing. Back then, you were 22, it felt like just another trophy, and you were only thinking about winning it again.”

When Owen won the award, the Ballon d’Or had not yet reached the prominence it would later have in the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. From the late 2000s into the 2010s, the two players competed for the award almost every season, and football fans worldwide followed their rivalry for the title of the world’s best player.

To this day, Owen remains the last Liverpool player to win the Ballon d’Or while at the club.