MADRID (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth and likely final match world cup It will be the Portuguese great’s first time since leaving Europe to play in Saudi Arabia.
His sudden move at the end of 2022 shocked many in the football world, with widespread doubts that his form would be affected by facing lower-level competition.
However, Ronaldo, who turned 41 in February, dismissed the idea that his performance would decline ahead of next month’s showcase event. And, proving his point, the goals kept coming for both Al Nasr and the Portuguese national team.
Portugal national team manager Roberto Martínez said Ronaldo remains as hungry as ever and the star forward shows no signs of slowing down after moving to Saudi Arabia.
“He continues to perform, continues to show his value, continues to show that (he) is important to the national team,” Martinez said. “Having that hungry spirit when you win everything in a game is quite amazing. And that doesn’t take away from the fact that to be in the national team you need to be someone who can help the team now, not what you’ve done in the past.”
Ronaldo and his long-time rival Lionel Messi are set to reach the milestone of playing in six World Cups. Ronaldo is the all-time leader in appearances (226) and goals (143) for the men’s national team. He is also the only player to score in five World Cups.
“Even if he is the captain, even if he has achieved something that probably no player in world football has achieved, which is more than 225 games for the national team, that number alone is unique in what he brings, but I think he has the same demands as any other player in the national team,” Martinez said.
Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia midway through the 2022-23 season at the end of his most recent spell at Manchester United, rejecting other offers reportedly worth $200 million a year to “give a different vision to the country and to football”. Ronaldo said at the time that his time in Europe was over and he was ready for a “new challenge”.
Criticism soon began pouring in, with many fans and pundits not pleased with his choice to take on Saudi Arabia’s huge sums of money instead of continuing his career in elite football. Some said he might effectively retire from competitive soccer.
However, Ronaldo has always praised the Saudi league, saying it was better than the French or Portuguese leagues. He said his critics should go there, compete in temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and keep performing like he did.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nasr celebrates after scoring at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 19, 2023 (AP Photo/Hussein Mara, File)
“They can say what they want, so I don’t need to say it, but the numbers don’t lie,” Ronaldo said in an interview with Piers Morgan last year. “They’ve never been here, they’ve never played here…For me, it’s easier (easier) to score in Spain than it is to score in the Saudi (league).”
Ronaldo’s departure from Europe does not seem to have affected his performance on the international stage for Portugal. Since then, he continued to play at a high level, scoring 25 goals in the last 30 games for the national team.
At the 2024 European Championship, where Portugal reached the quarter-finals, Ronaldo did not score in five games. In 2025, about two and a half years after he started playing in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo helped Portugal win the Nations League, scoring one of his eight goals in the tournament in the final against Spain.
Despite just turning 41, Ronaldo remains in top physical condition. hamstring injury There was a temporary impact in late February, but it quickly recovered. On May 7, he scored a goal. 100th goal in Saudi Pro League This will be his 105th league appearance with Al Nasr and a chance to win his first league title since 2019.
“Every effort[Cristiano]makes and what he does on the pitch is unique because he has more experience than all of us and what he focuses on every day and every game.” joan felixRonaldo’s Al Nasr and Portuguese teammate said this in the Saudi Pro League earlier this year. “And seeing him doing what he’s supposed to do at 40 years old gives me even more motivation.”
Ronaldo scored 14 goals in 16 games in his debut season in Saudi Arabia in 2022-23. In his first full season, he scored 35 goals in 31 games, setting a new league scoring record. Al Nasr won their first Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023 thanks to Ronaldo’s two goals in the final.
In the 2024-25 season, Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in 30 games and has found the back of the net 26 times in 29 games so far this season. He was the league’s top scorer in both of his first two seasons and is now five goals behind Al Ahly’s Ivan Toni.
Ronaldo said this would definitely be his last challenge. win the world cupHowever, it is still unclear how long he will continue to play.
The Portugal national team coach knows better not to speculate.
“It’s difficult for me to say, because I quickly learned not to predict Cristiano’s future, because he has an elite brain that is the best today,” Martinez said. “And I think if you asked him, he’d say the same thing. He doesn’t make plans.”
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