The Qatar 2022 World Cup was very special for Cristiano Ronaldo as he became the first player ever to score at least a goal in five different editions of the tournament. In his fifth, and probably last appearance, the legendary star tried to hoist the only trophy he's been missing, but Portugal failed after being beaten by Morocco in the quarterfinals.
Portugal were playing on their sixth consecutive World Cup (eighth overall) and many experts believed this was the best roster in their entire history. It wasn't enough. Cristiano Ronaldo and company couldn't even match their country's best participations: third-place in 1966 and the semifinals in 2006.
At 37-years old, no one knows what the future of Cristiano Ronaldo will be. At the club level, he is out of Manchester United and still has no new team. With Portugal, the next World Cup is more than three years ahead in 2026. However, in a long awaited scenario, Cristiano finally spoke about his future.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo retire after the Qatar 2022 World Cup?
If Cristiano Ronaldo plays in the 2026 World Cup, he will be the first man ever to participate in six editions of the tournament. That would break a tie with Lionel Messi, Antonio Carbajal, Andres Guardado, Rafael Marquez and Lothar Matthäus.
In a very emotional message, Cristiano Ronaldo spoke about the disappointment he still feels after the loss against Morocco in the quarterfinals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. "Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including for Portugal, but putting the name of our country on the highest level in the world was my biggest dream."
Then, the biggest question came. Will he continue playing for Portugal? This was his answer for millons of fans around the world. "I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. In the 5 presences that I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always alongside great players and supported by millions of Portuguese fans, I gave my all. Unfortunately, yesterday the dream ended. For now, there's not much more to say. Thank you, Portugal. Thank you, Qatar. The dream was beautiful while it lasted...Now, let's wait for time to be a good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions."
