Twenty-three years, 232 appearances, 146 goals, and six FIFA World Cups later, at the age of 41, this could truly be the end, and Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to walk away in peace.
One day before what could be the final match of his remarkable international career, the truth everyone already suspected—but that Portugal’s captain had avoided saying out loud—finally came to light.
“This will be my last World Cup. With God’s help, I hope tomorrow will not be my last match,” he said.
And if it is, then so be it. If he must leave the game without winning the only trophy that has eluded him throughout his legendary career, then he has accepted that reality.
“I lack nothing. God has been generous to me,” Ronaldo said.
“I won’t be more Cristiano or less Cristiano whether I win the World Cup or not,” he added.
The first time Ronaldo represented Portugal was against Kazakhstan at the Estádio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira in Chaves, in front of 8,000 fans, when he came on at the start of the second half to replace Luís Figo. His final appearance could come against Spain at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, before a crowd of 80,000 spectators.
A defeat in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 would eliminate Portugal and bring his journey on football’s biggest stage to an end.
As a result, the final pre-match press conference before what could be his farewell game became Ronaldo’s moment—as if he were taking it all in and perhaps even enjoying it.
Speaking in three languages to a packed press room, he mixed humor with a few light-hearted jabs, most delivered with a smile.
He pointed out that people have been trying to “kill” him for two decades and stressed that scoring three goals in this tournament is not a bad return at all.
When someone suggested he might never return, he replied with a grin:
“You don’t want me to come back.”
“You always ask the same question—whether this is the last one. We’ll see. I don’t want the attention to be on that; it’s not important. What matters is whether we advance,” Ronaldo insisted at first, but he spoke like a man who knows his time has come, writes The Guardian.
Then he admitted it openly. The moment has arrived, and once those words are spoken, they cannot be taken back. The end can only be postponed—one more day, one more round. Four more matches at most.
“The day will come,” he said. “But honestly, whatever happens tomorrow, I will leave with a clear conscience—not 100%, but 1,000%—because I have given everything to football. I don’t need football; I live well, but this is about passion. I play football because I love it. Whatever happens tomorrow, I cannot put pressure on myself by saying we are obliged to win. No—whatever will be, will be. You have to enjoy every day. And I’ve scored three goals. I’m not doing too badly, am I?” he added.
“They’ve been trying to kill me for 23 years. There’s no point paying too much attention to that. It’s part of this life. The people of Portugal believe in us. They’ve never let us down. They are always on our side, on my side. Everything else is nonsense. None of it matters. I lack nothing in life. God has given me everything—more than I ever expected. Age brings maturity and experience. I’m even grateful for the criticism and attacks I receive. That’s how you grow as a person. They’ve made me stronger, and I also thank you, the journalists, because thanks to all of this I’ve grown even more,” CR7 continued.
“You have to enjoy every day as if it were your last World Cup—which it will be. But I hope, I truly hope, that tomorrow won’t be the last day. I hope so. After that, you can keep trying to kill me for a little while longer,” Ronaldo concluded.
