Cristiano Ronaldo addresses retirement speculation after World Cup win
Cristiano Ronaldo has dismissed fresh speculation over his future after his sister claimed the World Cup would mark the end of his remarkable international career, reports BritPanorama.
The Portugal captain insisted no decision has been made about retirement following his side’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia, making it clear he will wait until the tournament is over before deciding what comes next.
Ronaldo’s future became a major talking point just hours before kick-off after comments from his sister, Katia Aveiro, were widely reported in Portugal. She suggested the 41-year-old was preparing for one final farewell with the national team, describing the World Cup as his “last dance.”
However, Ronaldo appeared to pour cold water on those claims after helping Portugal book their place in the last 16. “My future isn’t important right now,” he said. “I’ll have time, after winning or losing, I’ll talk to my family and then make the best decision. I don’t make decisions in the heat of the moment anymore. Now, everything is done calmly. It’s about enjoying the present.”
Before the match, Aveiro had indicated she believed the end was close for Portugal’s all-time leading scorer. “From the information I have, from a reliable source, I believe that this is the last dance, so let’s enjoy it,” she said. “I believe it’s not today that they’ll say goodbye, but it’s coming soon. I strongly believe this is the farewell. So enjoy it a lot because it will be difficult to find someone after 200 goals. I’m talking about the Portuguese national team.”
Ronaldo responded in the best possible fashion on the pitch. With Portugal trailing Croatia, the veteran forward calmly converted a penalty after a VAR review to level the scores in the 68th minute. It was his third goal of the tournament after previously scoring twice against Uzbekistan during the group stage, when his emphatic “I’m back” celebration quickly went viral.
The strike also ended a lengthy wait for a World Cup knockout goal, with Ronaldo finding the net in the elimination rounds for the first time after 10 appearances across the competition. He had earlier thought he had opened the scoring after controlling an incisive pass and finishing from close range, only for the assistant referee’s flag to cut short his celebrations.
Portugal eventually progressed thanks to Goncalo Ramos, whose stoppage-time winner secured a dramatic victory before Croatia had a late equaliser ruled out for offside following another VAR review. Ronaldo’s latest appearance also extended several extraordinary records. The Al-Nassr forward has now won 232 caps for Portugal and has scored a record 146 international goals.
He heads into the latter stages of the World Cup in strong form after netting 30 goals in 35 matches for Al-Nassr last season, taking his tally for the Saudi Pro League club to 123 goals in 142 appearances. Portugal will now face Spain in a mouth-watering last-16 showdown in Dallas on Monday.
Following the final whistle against Croatia, Ronaldo also paid an emotional tribute to former Portugal teammate Diogo Jota on the first anniversary of his death, dedicating the victory to the late forward in poignant scenes after the match. He said: “We knew what does this date mean for us. We knew it.”
“We won for Diogo, for us, for Portugal. We knew it before the game, it was such a special moment. We speak today before the game, our group, that the coincidence of life, it’s unbelievable. It means a lot to us, not only because we won the game.”
