With the club season over, international soccer is back with a number of friendly matches ahead of the Copa America and Euros. Today, June 4, Portugal will play Finland in an exhibition game.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo won’t show up as he’s been given rest for the first two friendlies of the June window. The striker will not play against Finland nor Croatia as he gets to spend a mini-holiday with his family after an exhausting season in Saudi Arabia.
In a press conference, Portugal manager Roberto Martinez explained, “All players are entitled to a 7-day vacation. Ronaldo will arrive on the seventh day of camp, so he will miss the first two friendly matches vs Finland and Croatia.”
At 39, Ronaldo is preparing for what could be his last international tournament. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star helped Portugal lift the Euros in 2016… will he go the distance again this year?
Ronaldo not planning to retire anytime soon
While there’s speculation on whether Ronaldo will participate in the 2026 World Cup, the 5x Ballon d’Or winner has no intention to hang up his boots anytime soon.
“I feel proud to have this age and still compete at the highest level,” he said on the Whoop Podcast in May, via CBS Sports. “It’s great and it gives me motivation to carry on. If you look at my career for the last 20 years, my level is high. If you are top for 20 years, it’s unbelievable. I do that and I continue to do that. For me, it’s a big achievement.”
Ronaldo will be 41 in 2026, so his presence on the international stage by then remains uncertain. However, Roberto Martinez revealed the player aims to reach 250 caps for Portugal.
“He [Ronaldo] was very close to reaching 200 caps, something nobody has ever done before. I said [to Ronaldo] is 200 caps something that interests you or not? He said, ‘250 interests me’,” Martinez told Freddie Ljungberg in December 2023.
