Cristiano Ronaldo on his continued presence in the national team: “I will be the first to step aside”

On 20 August 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal’s senior national team. 21 years later, the Portuguese star is the top scorer for his country, and for all national teams, with 130 goals in 212 matches.

At 39, Ronaldo is still called up by Portugal and will next face Croatia and Scotland in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the Nations League. However, the captain of the Portuguese national team has begun to receive criticism for his advanced age and footballing level.

Some even claim that he should no longer be called up to Portugal. In response to these accusations, the player himself recently responded, making clear his position and the moment in which he would say “goodbye” to his national team.

“I know what I can do and I will continue to do it. I am very positive about the present. I feel happy, but when the time comes for me to retire I will be the first to take the step forward,” Cristiano Ronaldo explained in a press conference.

“I will always think that I will be a starter, but I will always respect the coach. As long as there is professional ethics, I will respect the coaches. If there is no ethics, then there can be controversy,” he added, laughing.

Cristiano also took the opportunity to take stock of the recent Euro Cup in Portugal, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by France on penalties, but the Al Nassr player does not consider the Portuguese team’s participation to have been a failure.

“In my opinion, the Euros were not a disappointment, it was part of the growth of a team that has to take its time. In my opinion, it was positive. Nobody likes to lose, but for me it was not a failure, I think it was a victory,” said CR7.

He even commented that after the Euro, and far from thinking about retiring, he found more motivation to continue with his national team. “It never crossed my mind to leave the national team after the Euro,” he added.

Finally, the 39-year-old striker was also asked about his possible presence at the 2026 World Cup. He would arrive at the age of 41. The Portuguese, despite responding that he is in great physical shape, preferred not to get ahead of himself and commented that he wants to “live in the moment.”

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