LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A hamstring injury will keep Cristiano Ronaldo out of Portugal’s friendlies against the United States and Mexico ahead of the World Cup in North America.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo hasn’t played since Feb. 28 when he limped off the field while playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
As expected, Portugal coach Roberto Martínez did not include the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in the squad he announced on Friday. Ronaldo hasn’t played in the U.S. since an August 2014 preseason friendly with Real Madrid against Manchester United in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Portugal plays Mexico in Mexico City on March 28 and the U.S. in Atlanta on April 1.
Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals in men's international soccer after scoring 143 times for Portugal.
The World Cup starts in June.
Portugal:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), José Sá (Wolverhampton), Rui Silva (Sporting Lisbon)
Defenders: Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), João Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting Lisbon), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), António Silva (Benfica), Tomás Araújo (Benfica)
Midfielders: Rúben Neves (Al-Hilal), Samú Costa (Mallorca), Mateus Fernandes (West Ham), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Rodrigo Mora (Porto)
Forwards: Ricardo Horta (Braga), Pedro Gonçalves (Sporting Lisbon), João Félix (Al-Nassr), Francisco Trincão (Sporting Lisbon), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Rafael Leão (AC Milan), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Gonçalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain)
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo controls the ball during a World Cup 2026 group F qualifying soccer match between Ireland and Portugal in Dublin, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
The New York Jets are signing kicker Younghoe Koo to compete at the position, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press.
Koo will join Cade York and Lenny Krieg as kickers on the Jets’ roster. Nick Folk, New York’s kicker last season, signed with Atlanta as a free agent in March.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the team didn’t announce the signing. SNY first reported that Koo would be joining the Jets.
The 31-year-old native of South Korea who went to high school in New Jersey kicked in five games last season for the Giants after one with Atlanta, where he played since 2019. Koo began his NFL career with the Chargers in 2017 after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern.
Koo made headlines last December in Week 13 when his foot missed the ball on a field-goal attempt for the Giants during a “Monday Night Football” game, a 33-15 loss to New England. Koo later said he saw the ball moving as he approached and aborted the kicking attempt.
In an odd twist, Mark Toothaker — a stallion season manager at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky — told the AP in April that the botched kick might have saved his life. He said he was watching the game and laughed so hard, he had a seizure. His wife Malory, a nurse, called 911, paramedics arrived and took Toothaker to a hospital — where a CT scan revealed a tennis-ball-sized tumor on the left side of his brain. The tumor was surgically removed and turned out to be benign.
Koo, who was selected to the Pro Bowl during the 2020 season, has made 185 of his 217 career field-goal attempts and 186 of 194 extra-point tries.
AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - Atlanta Falcons place kicker Younghoe Koo warms up during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sept. 7, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
