New coach Xavi Hernandez leaves Memphis Depay out of the Netherlands squad for Nations League

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — New Netherlands coach Xavi Hernandez left the country's all-time top scorer, Memphis Depay, out of his 26-man squad for upcoming Nations League matches and called up the son of former Netherlands midfielder Mark van Bommel for the first time.

The 32-year-old Depay, who now plays for Brazilian club Corinthians, has scored 55 goals in 112 international appearances.

Ruben van Bommel, 22, a left winger who plays for PSV Eindhoven, has impressed this season with two goals and two assists after recovering from a long-term knee injury. His father, Mark, is head coach of the Belgium national team.

Xavi also called up talented 22-year-old midfielder Gjivai Zechiël, who has scored five goals in six Eredivisie matches for Feyenoord this season.

The former Barcelona great, who took over the Netherlands team after Ronald Koeman left in the wake of a disappointing World Cup campaign, said the 26-man squad gave him flexibility over four upcoming matches and a chance to evaluate his options.

"For me as head coach, it is also valuable to observe them closely and get to know them better over the coming weeks, as we will be working together intensively for the first time,” he said in a statement.

At his presentation last month, Xavi said he wanted to build a team that is able to "dominate the game, to take the initiative with the ball.”

Before taking over the Dutch national team, the 46-year-old Xavi had been out of work since leaving his job as Barcelona coach in May 2024. Koeman left the role after the World Cup, where the Netherlands lost in a penalty shootout to Morocco in the round of 32 and faced criticism for a lack of attacking ambition.

The Netherlands plays Germany in Amsterdam on Sept. 24 and three days later takes on Serbia in Belgrade. The team then travels to Thessaloniki to face Greece on Oct. 1 and hosts Serbia in Eindhoven on Oct. 4.

Netherlands squad:

Goalkeepers: Bart Verbruggen (Brighton), Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen), Robin Roefs (Sunderland).

Defenders: Nathan Ake (Fenerbahçe), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Real Madrid), Jeremie Frimpong (Liverpool), Lutsharel Geertruida (PSV Eindhoven), Jurrien Timber (Arsenal), Jorrel Hato (Chelsea), Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham Hotspur), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham).

Midfielders: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus), Tijjani Reijnders (Al-Qadsiah), Kenneth Taylor (Lazio), Quinten Timber (Crystal Palace), Joey Veerman (Borussia Dortmund), Gjivai Zechiël (Feyenoord).

Forwards: Brian Brobbey (Sunderland), Ruben van Bommel (PSV), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth), Noa Lang (Napoli), Donyell Malen (Roma), Crysencio Summerville (Al-Hilal).

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Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Liverpool in Ipswich, England, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo was included in Portugal’s squad by new coach Jorge Jesus for its upcoming Nations League games on Friday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo said that this summer’s World Cup was his last, but the global star has yet to say when he plans to retire from international play. He will be 43 by the time the 2028 European Championship, the next major tournament, is held.

This was the first squad named by Jesus, who was hired to replace Spaniard Roberto Martinez after Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the round of 16 of the World Cup. Jesus' previous coaching job was with Ronaldo's club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where they won the league together last season.

Regarding Ronaldo's role, Jesus said "all the called-up players are at my disposal.”

“If he performs well, he plays. If he doesn’t perform well, he doesn’t play. That’s how I treat everyone,” Jesus said, before adding a caveat.

“Now, does Cris have a different status? Yes. His career is different," he said. "He has five Ballon d’Or awards. But does that influence my decisions? No. It doesn’t influence anything, zero, but he is different from the others."

The 72-year-old Jesus has also coached several Portuguese clubs, including Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.

Ronaldo is the leading scorer for men’s international soccer with 146 goals. His greatest achievement with Portugal was helping it win the 2016 Euros.

He is now chasing 1,000 career goals. He currently has 979. When asked if he imagined Ronaldo hitting that milestone, Jesus said he doubted it would be with Portugal.

“I think he's more likely to score his thousandth goal for Al-Nassr than for the Portuguese national team,” Jesus said.

Portugal will open the Nations League by hosting Wales on Sept. 24. It plays Norway away three days later and then in Denmark on Oct. 1, before hosting Norway on Oct. 4.

Portugal squad:

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting), Samuel Soares (Benfica)

Defenders: Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting), João Cancelo (Barcelona), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Nuno Tavares (Lazio), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Tomás Araújo (Benfica)

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), João Palhinha (Benfica), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Rúben Neves (Al Hilal), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid)

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Fábio Silva (Borussia Dortmund), Francisco Trincão (Al Ahli), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Gonçalo Ramos (AC Milan), João Félix (Al Nassr), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leão (Galatasaray)

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FILE - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the pitch after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, file)