West Ham playmaker Mateus Fernandes has set his sights on Cristiano Ronaldo in a recent interview.
Fernandes made his senior Portugal debut as a substitute in their 2-0 victory over the United States last week.
The 22-year-old enjoyed his first experience of playing alongside all the top players in Roberto Martinez’s squad.
Fernandes is now already looking forward to returning to the Portugal team, with Ronaldo on his mind.
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Mateus Fernandes of West Ham United celebrates his goal with Crysencio Summerville of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sunderland at the London Stadium in Stratford, England, on January 24, 2026.
Mateus Fernandes wants to play with Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup
Fernandes highlighted his two idols, Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo, after his first taste of senior international football.
Having aspired to play like Bruno as a youngster at Sporting, Mateus was pleased to be in the same squad as him.
“He’s a normal guy, like me,” Fernandes told Daily Mail. “Sometimes you think they are much more than us, but they are just normal.
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“Cristiano was the biggest one for us as kids. He’s the biggest player in my country and the world.
“When you grow up, you try to look for players in your position, so I looked to Bruno to try to learn. I just enjoyed it and tried to learn the small details with him.”
Although Fernandes mentioned Ronaldo, Portugal’s all-time top goalscorer, he was not part of the squad for the recent games.
Ronaldo was left out, as he was dealing with a minor muscle injury at Al Nassr, which he has since recovered from.
Fernandes has now admitted that he would love to play with Ronaldo next time, even though it would bring added pressure.
“It took a little bit of pressure off me,” he added. “I think with him in the squad, I feel a bit more pressure. I hope I play with him next time!”
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Tomas Soucek of Czechia celebrates scoring his teams second penalty in the shootout during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Czechia and Denmark at EPET ARENA on March 31, 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic.
Fernandes’ next opportunity to represent Portugal will be in the friendlies just before the World Cup this summer.
The Hammers star will be hopeful that Martinez selects him, but that is far from certain.
Portugal have a plethora of top players in central midfield, such as Bruno, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha and Joao Neves.
“We have a lot of players ready for the World Cup,” Fernandes explained. “I need to show that I can do it much better than them.
“If I do good things here with West Ham, play games, play well, I think I can do it. I will be ready for the World Cup if they call me.”
Hopefully, Mateus will soon fulfil his lifelong dream of playing alongside Ronaldo for the Portuguese national team.
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