Joel Colwill says the chance to face Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland would feel “pretty surreal”, and he admits he would be “in shock” if he found himself on the same pitch as Ronaldo. Wales have taken the Cardiff midfielder into Craig Bellamy’s 28-man squad for the Nations League A campaign, with Portugal first in Lisbon on Thursday, 24 September.

Colwill's rapid rise

The scale of the move becomes clearer when you put it next to where he was a year ago. Cardiff drew 1-1 at Stockport in League Two 12 months ago, and Colwill was part of that level of football. Since then, he has made only 1 appearance in Cardiff’s 2026 League Cup campaign, playing 32 minutes and earning a 6.3 rating.

That is a modest club footprint, but it is enough to show how quickly the Wales call-up has arrived. Colwill’s next chance to add to his international experience comes against Portugal, with Wales also set to meet Norway and Denmark in the same 28-man squad campaign.

The Ronaldo factor

Colwill’s focus is clearly on the occasion, not on building a grander story around himself. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “Hopefully if I get the opportunity to play against both of those players, it'll be pretty surreal, especially Ronaldo, one of the greatest players of all time,”

He also said: “If I find myself on the same pitch as him, I'll be in shock.” That is the kind of response you expect from a 21-year-old midfielder making the jump from League Two football 12 months ago to the edge of a group that could put him in front of one of the biggest names the game has ever produced.

Ronaldo was named in the first squad selected by new Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, and he arrives with the kind of reputation that explains Colwill’s reaction. The Wales midfielder has spoken like someone still absorbing the move, not someone pretending the occasion is routine.

The immediate issue is simple: Portugal in Lisbon on Thursday, 24 September. If Colwill gets on the pitch, the first touch will come with Ronaldo and Haaland in the same international window.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →