The Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar witnessed history as Morocco defeated Portugal 1-0 to reach their maiden semi-final in FIFA World Cup history. After the loss, Portuguese stalwart Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears as he still couldn’t fathom the result. But this emotional outburst has trigged a question if this would be CR7’s last appearance on the World Cup stage.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner will turn 38 in two months' time, already making him one of the oldest players across all major top footballing leagues. Similarly, he will turn 41 by the World Cup which still makes him four years younger than Essam El-Hadary, the oldest player to play in the Marquee Tournament.
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Ronaldo, in a recent interview with Piers Morgan, stated ‘I want to finish at 40. I think 40, will be a good age…’ but still kept the door open for a return by saying ‘but I don’t know, I don’t know the future.’ Similarly, he has expressed that he wants to represent Portugal in the 2024 European Champion which will be hosted by Germany. Hence if Ronaldo plays in the next Euros he could probably push his body to play in the 2026 World Cup.
But unlike the last few years, Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t been an automatic starter for Fernando Santos over the last few games. The former Real Madrid star was dropped from the starting XI against Morocco and also in the Round of 16 victory against Switzerland. Hence this could be a sign of the Portugal team management phasing out Ronaldo from the national set-up.
Another factor triggering this process is the influx of high-quality attacking talent in the Seleção das Quinas like Rafael Leao, Goncalo Ramos, Andre Silva, etc who have been performing at a high level in their respective leagues.
Similarly, a tactical change in world football, where top teams have opted for a high-pressing system, could be one of the reasons for Ronaldo’s exit from the national team at 37. He has lost that extra yard of pace which tormented opposition defenders and hence he could be out for the next FIFA World Cup in 2022.
