Cristiano Ronaldo has been away from the field due to an unfortunate injury sustained in the match between Al Nasr and Al Faiha on February 28th. He missed not only the matches against NEOM SC and Al Khaleej, but also Portugal’s World Cup warm-up matches against Mexico (0-0) and USMNT (to be played on the 31st at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta).
At 41 years old, with just 75 days until the start of the World Cup, doubts over his availability have worried fans, but there is also talk of him retiring. Now Roberto Marnez has revealed the real reason behind the Portuguese star’s decision.
What will lead to the retirement of CR7?
The Portugal national team coach had to reshuffle his team after the team captain suffered a hamstring injury in late February. To avoid the risk of a more serious injury, he and Al Nasr’s coaching staff have decided to exclude him from the friendly matches against Mexico and the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nevertheless, all signs point to Cristiano Ronaldo being around for a while. According to reports, he is set to play in the Saudi Pro League match between Al Nasr and Al Najma SC on April 3, and is ready for his sixth World Cup appearance.
His strong competitive spirit, leadership, attitude, constant physical and mental effort, and professionalism allowed him to overcome not only this injury, but also every obstacle in his career, establishing himself as one of the greatest players of this century. This didn’t go unnoticed by fans, and certainly not by Martinez, who witnessed firsthand his mindset when he took on the role of coach.
“When I visited Ronaldo, I wanted to know how he felt. Players over the age of 30 start to think that the international break might be a time to take a breather and recover. But Ronaldo’s attitude was always: ‘I’m here for the national team, whatever it takes,'” Martinez recalled in a statement to the Guardian.
This attitude has led the 52-year-old manager to avoid setting a concrete retirement date for the Portuguese star, despite the end coming near. In fact, he says his career could go “infinitely” if he stays fit and motivated, but fans need to learn how to differentiate between the different stages of his career.
“Everyone has an opinion, but it’s based on their perception of Ronaldo, a particular period in his career. The biggest mistake people make is not analyzing him now. After the Euros it was, ‘Portugal didn’t win because Cristiano was playing.’ We win the Nations League, but it’s ‘What will Portugal do when Ronaldo retires?’ ’,” he said.
“I always thought that it is the body that makes a player retire, but it is the mind. Cristiano’s heart did not make that decision even at the age of 40 or 41. Elite players are not defined by talent. What matters is mentality and resilience,” he added.
Meanwhile, after a 0-0 draw with Mexico at the reopening of the Azteca Stadium (Banorte), Portugal will take on the USMNT at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday, March 31st at 7:30pm ET.
Going into the World Cup, CR7 and Portugal will face Colombia, Uzbekistan in Group K, and the winner of the intercontinental play-off between Jamaica and Republic of Congo. On Wednesday, June 17, the Portuguese will play their first match against the winners of the intercontinental play-off. They will play against Uzbekistan on June 23rd (Tuesday) and Colombia on June 27th (Saturday).
This will be Cristiano’s sixth and final World Cup. He admitted last November that he had no intention of playing in another tournament (he would be 45 by then). Similarly, according to Martonez, the end of a career doesn’t come when a calendar dictates, but when a player believes the time has come.
