Legendary soccer king star Cristiano Ronaldo said on Tuesday that this year’s European Championship will be the last match of his career.
Ronald confirmed his Euro future in an interview with Portugal TV, saying:
“Without a doubt – this is the last Euros [for me], of course it is.
“But I’m not emotional about it. I’m inspired by everything that’s involved in football, the passion I have for the game, the passion I see in the fans, having my family here, and the people. Passion… it’s not about that. What else do I have to win or do apart from the football world?”
The 39-year-old veteran, who is playing in a record sixth career European Championship, has helped Portugal reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
While Portugal are now three victories away from their second Euro title, the tournament has been a struggle for Ronaldo so far.
The top goalscorer in all major competitions has yet to score a goal at Euro 2024 in Germany, and he went out on about the lowest note imaginable.
In Monday’s round of 16 match against Slovenia, Ronaldo took a penalty in the 114th minute to level the scores but was saved by goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
The match ended in penalty kicks, which is always a crapshoot, but Ronaldo was lucky that Portuguese goalkeeper Diego Costa made a big save, as he stopped all three of Slovenia’s attempts to seal Portugal’s victory. gave
Eight years ago, Ronaldo and Portugal won Euro 2016 in France, still the crowning international achievement of Ronaldo’s career.
He also reached the final in 2004 and the semi-final in 2012, so it’s fair to say that Ronaldo has nothing left to prove at the event.
However, having Ronaldo go public with the knowledge that this is his last Euro could be a wise strategy in terms of encouraging the squad as a whole to go the distance and win it one last time.
Given that Ronaldo will be 43 at the next Euros in 2028, his stance is not surprising, although it is no less saddening than any prospect for football fans.
Assuming Cristiano Ronaldo tries to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the age of 41, it could turn out to be his final international event, marking the end of an era.
For now, the focus is on Euro 2024 and Portugal’s potential to become European champions for the second time in eight years.
However, if Ronaldo and Portugal are going to make it, they will have to get past France in the quarters, who top the European team ranked # 2 in the world in the FIFA rankings.
