New Delhi: Cristiano Ronaldo has refuted claims of his retirement from international football anytime soon again. The Portugal captain maintained that the decision wouldn’t be very difficult to take. The 39-year-old has made most appearances and most goals in the international arena with 130 goals from 212 matches.
Speaking at a press conference before the start of Portugal’s Nations League campaign, the striker reaffirmed his commitment to his nation and mentioned his wish to lead them to another Nations League victory. Before taking the field against Croatia and Scotland for Portugal, Ronaldo felt he wanted to keep ‘short-term’ goals for himself.
However, Ronaldo comes into the tournament with extra pressure on his shoulder. During the recently concluded UEFA Euros, Ronaldo failed to score a single time for Portugal as the team crashed out of the tournament from the quarter-finals. Still, the former Real Madrid striker has maintained that he’ll leave the moment he feels he isn’t contributing to the team’s cause, giving his former teammate Pepe’s example, who retired this year at the age of 41.
The five-time Ballon d’Or moved to play in the Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and recently scored the 899th goal of his professional football career. He has publicly mentioned his wish to end his club career with Al-Nassr in a couple of years. In the same interview, he mentioned that his national retirement will be more ‘spontaneous’ and he won’t tell anyone.
Despite facing criticism for his performance, Ronaldo has said that he never considered retiring and has found support from his Portugal team’s coach, Roberto Martinez. While Martinez didn’t confirm if Ronaldo will play for the team during the World Cup, he has maintained that the former Manchester United is important for the team and his in a ‘good moment’. For now, Portugal will play Croatia on Thursday, 5th September and Scotland on Sunday, 8th September. Their final group-stage fixture against Poland will be on 15th November.
The Al-Nassr striker ruled out immediate retirement and hoped to lead the squad to another victory in the Nations League. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
