Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese national team player, refused to reveal whether the current edition of the World Cup would be the last in his career.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Club: Al-Nassr
The Portuguese national team is preparing to face Spain in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Ronaldo said during the pre-match press conference: "If we did not have the conviction in our ability to win the World Cup, we would not have reached here until now. My experience in the tournament has been wonderful so far and we are improving with every match."
He continued, "We know that this is a difficult tournament and some teams have been eliminated, and that tells us a lot, but our team is fine and with the right mindset. We will face a tough team, but we are ready."
He added, "I am just as I was at the age of 18; my mind and body are trying to achieve goals whether I play or not. I have a role to play, and as I have said for years, I will retire when I decide, and we will see whether this tournament will be the last or not, because I do not want to draw attention to that matter only, and the focus must remain on the next match."
He went on, "This team is characterized by high quality; our average age is young, and this bracelet we wear has the names of all the players written on it, and we play for Jota and all Portuguese people. I will remember this edition of the World Cup unlike any other because of the passion, and for me I see it as the best and I enjoy it."
He continued, "The feeling of enthusiasm and passion to represent my country applies to every match I participate in. Today at breakfast, for example, we saw many people wearing the Portuguese flag. These are the memories we gain, and this is what we came for. The memories we get in the end are the love of the team."
He added, "Criticism? They have been trying to defeat me for 23 years with no use, and I have gotten used to it. This is part of my world."
He added, "There is nothing missing for me. God has always been generous with me and given me a lot, and as long as I have had the passion and enjoyment of every moment on the pitch, I will not leave the tournament as a better or lesser Cristiano, but I will remain as I am. We must prepare all the appropriate conditions to win. Every day we think only of the next day, and this is the maturity one gains with age. When I turned 40, I realized a lot, and I hope to live another 40 years to learn more. I feel that I have matured a lot, and that is why I enjoy every moment. Tomorrow's match will be big, and the team is progressing and has given a lot."
He stressed, "I feel that tomorrow will be a good day and we will achieve victory."
He added, "To reach that level, one must leave behind many things, and during my career I have been able to adapt to the givens of age. I am not the player I was years ago, but I understand that I am still able to score goals and I hope to continue that tomorrow, and that any player scores in order to achieve victory."
He added, "I will leave this tournament with a clear conscience, and this is something in my normal life and in football. I did not play football because I needed it, but because of my passion. Now I play for the national team because I love that, and regardless of tomorrow's result, I will be happy and will not put pressure on myself and will not end my career by the necessity of winning, but I must enjoy every day and every match. Indeed, I have scored only 3 goals so far, but my performance is not bad."
"My family lives in Spain and my dearest friends are from there. Spain is always a candidate to win and we all know that. They have won many titles, but this is a different tournament and the atmosphere is different, and I love playing against them because my record is good, and who knows what will happen; perhaps some simple details could make the difference."
"I have always seen that the Spanish national team has a lot of skills. Tomorrow's match will be a fierce battle, and we must run and have courage, and this is the only way to beat them."
"I watched the match between Spain and Cape Verde. Lamine's future is bright, and I look at the Spanish national team as one unit, and the match tomorrow will be very strong."
"I will not talk about past generations of players. Playing with them was wonderful, but now this is a new generation with its advantages and challenges, and I will not talk about the previous reaching of the semi-finals unless we get past tomorrow's match, and I hope we have a good evening."
He concluded, "This may be my last participation in the World Cup, and I hope, God willing, to enjoy it, but we will see. I do not want tomorrow's match to be the last in the World Cup."
