It remains to be seen what happens in this intriguing World Cup. As we know, it is likely to be the last one for Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi too, as he will be 45 when it rolls around to the 2030 tournament. With Ronaldo, of course, you never know, and you might just see the attraction of trying it one more time, since the 2030 World Cup will be held (partially) in his home country of Portugal.
Yet, despite Ronaldo proving his critics wrong so many times in the past, there are many who now believe that the 2022 tournament should have been his last. Moreover, what we have noticed this time around is that those calls are not only coming from Ronaldo ‘haters,’ but from those who have the utmost respect for the legend’s career. As they say in games like DraftKings’ poker and blackjack, you have to know when to fold them, and many critics think that Ronaldo is holding back the evolution of the Portugal team.
Portuguese players admire their captain
Of course, we can argue against that. It is abundantly clear that his fellow Portuguese players adore him. If you watched their reactions when Ronaldo scored two goals against Uzbekistan, they were delighted for him as he silenced the critics. Moreover, you could see with the free-kick goal for Nuno Mendes that, despite everyone saying to the contrary, Ronaldo is happy to give a spot of the limelight to fellow players.
But the fear for some fans – even those who adore him – is that he will tarnish his reputation as he continues to play for Portugal in his 40s. Before the goals against Uzbekistan, he had been on a pretty rotten run of big tournament goals, stretching back to his single strike at the 2022 World Cup. Still, he is the first player to score in six World Cups, which could be an achievement that is never equaled.
Ominously, though, it is the form of his peers – Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland – that will probably be the worrying thing for Ronaldo. He is used to being considered imperious, inimitable, but those players have stolen the limelight away from him at the 2026 World Cup. They have set the standard, and it feels like he cannot keep up with them anymore.
Ronaldo may still offer a little more
This is not a simple “Ronaldo should retire” article, as so many of those have been written in the past. Instead, it is more of an acknowledgment that he has run out of time to be an elite player for Portugal on the grandest stage of them all.
In truth, Ronaldo has had a mixed bag at World Cups, never really matching his exploits in the UCL or various leagues across Europe. You can appreciate that he is incredibly driven to deliver for his nation, emulating Messi by bringing a World Cup home to his country.
Miracles can happen in football, and maybe they will for Ronaldo one more time, but the most likely outcome seems to be that we witness one of the greatest players in history, not quite at the peak of his powers, struggle to win the greatest competition on earth. His greatness should not be questioned, but it is unfortunate that many will see his struggles with Portugal as an opportunity to try to tarnish the top goalscorer in international football history.