Ronaldo Declares He Will Retire on His Own Terms Ahead of Spain Match

At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo affirmed during a World Cup press conference that his international retirement will occur on his own schedule, not according to external expectations.

The Portugal forward made history by scoring in six different World Cup tournaments, including two goals in his team's 5-0 Group K victory over Uzbekistan.

As Portugal prepares for the knockout stage clash with Spain, speculation has intensified regarding when Ronaldo will end his international career, especially after he was substituted in the 2-1 win against Croatia.

Speaking to the press and quoted by Portuguese newspaper A Bola, Ronaldo stated, “I’m always body and soul to help the national team. Playing or not playing, I will always have an important role.”

He added, “I’ll finish when I want to, not when you want me to. It’s a waste of time to keep asking that question.”

Ronaldo emphasized his focus remains on the upcoming match against Spain, saying, “But I don’t want to turn my attention to that. The most important thing is (the game against Spain on Monday).”

The former player for Manchester United, Juventus, and Real Madrid, who debuted for Sporting’s senior team as a 17-year-old in 2002, currently plays for Al Nassr, having extended his contract with the Saudi club until 2027 earlier this summer.

Portugal secured second place in their group behind Colombia after a 1-1 draw with DR Congo, followed by the win over Uzbekistan and a scoreless draw with Colombia.

In the round-of-32 match against Croatia, Ronaldo scored a penalty in the second half, bringing his World Cup goal total to three, before Goncalo Ramos scored a stoppage-time winner.

Ronaldo remarked, “If we didn’t have the idea that we could win the World Cup, we wouldn’t be here. It has been a beautiful experience. We have improved game by game.”

He acknowledged the difficulty of the tournament, stating, “We know that it is a competition where it is impossible to play well in all games and it is not easy for anyone, just see who has already been eliminated.”

Looking ahead, Ronaldo said, “I see the team calm, we trained well, we prepared well. (On Monday) we will face a super difficult team, but we are prepared.”