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Even at the age of 39, Cristiano Ronaldo is showing no signs of slowing down, at least when it comes to the Portugal national team.
Despite playing his club football in Saudi Arabia, the legendary striker remains a regular starter for the Lusitanians. He has contributed with 13 goals in the 19 matches Portugal have played since the FIFA World Cup 2022 and does not rule out playing at the next competition as well.
The World Cup remains the biggest trophy that is still missing in Cristiano Ronaldo’s cabinet. A quick football odds comparison reveals that Portugal is not among the top five favourites to the trophy in 2026. It may be the case that the Al Nassr striker is determined to do his best – perhaps for the last time in his career – to be crowned World Champion.
Cristiano Ronaldo coy about FIFA World Cup 2026
In the press conference ahead of Portugal’s start at the UEFA Nations League 2024/26, the national team captain was asked whether he intended to play at the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
“I feel good, almost good. But it’s 2026 and I can’t answer that question. The moment is good and I’m living in the moment, which is very positive. We are trying to do well in the Nations League. But 2026? There’s a long story in between,” Cristiano Ronaldo answered, as quoted by Bolavip.
It should be pointed out that Cristiano will be 41 years old when the FIFA World Cup 2026 is scheduled to kick-off in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Cristiano Ronaldo has always been regarded as one of the most hard-working footballers. Nevertheless, the age factor is crucial in sports, and the striker’s potential role and contribution at the next World Cup need to be discussed in detail.
The killer instinct needs the right environment
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 68 goals in 74 matches since moving to Al Nassr. His goalscoring capabilities are undoubtedly there but the level of the competition cannot be ignored.
While the next FIFA World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams – which potentially means weaker rivals – the quality of the opposition starting with the knockout stage will be incomparably higher than the clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Spain, France, England, Argentina, to name a few, are stacked with world-class players in every position. For Cristiano Ronaldo to be as lethal as he is in his club games, coach Roberto Martinez needs to build a system that favours him.
One non-negotiable should be the lack of defensive tasks for Cristiano. Portugal cannot press intensely because they need their captain fresh for when the ball finds him in the box.
Second, the striker will require a lot of creative support from the wings and from midfield. Thankfully, the Lusitanians are no short of talented players, as Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva or Rafael Leao can create scoring chances out of thin air.
And third, Cristiano Ronaldo should play centrally, around the penalty box. While he may be tempted to drop back and help with build-up or shift to the wing to find more space, the superstar striker should be instructed to stay close to the opposite goal where his genius is needed the most.
‘Records follow me,’ Cristiano Ronaldo says
The 39-year-old insists that he is not fixated on personal records. To believe him or not is a different issue, but the FIFA World Cup 2026 could be a strong motivator in this regard.
Cristiano can’t break the ‘oldest player’ or ‘oldest goalscorer’ records because they are held by Essam El-Hadary (45 years) and Roger Milla (42 years) respectively. The Portuguese will be only 41 when the tournament kicks off.
However, he could improve on certain milestones like score his first knockout stage goal at the FIFA World Cup or increase his total goal tally, currently at eight.
He could become the oldest goalscorer at the knockout round (currently Pepe – 39 years) or the oldest player to feature in the final (Dino Zoff – 40 years). Undoubtedly, the biggest achievement would be winning the first ever World Cup trophy in the history of Portugal.
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