There are few opportunities in life to say goodbye in real time.
The end often comes before we even know it’s true. But as he enters his sixth and final World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo could be bidding farewell to football.
5 Champions Leagues. 5 Ballon d’Ors. It has achieved domestic success in four countries. He also has two Nations League titles and a European Championship.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has won a league title in a fourth different country after Al Nasr won the Saudi Professional League title.
The only thing that eludes him is the famous gold trophy.
If he doesn’t win, the World Cup probably won’t be his curtain call. His obsession with greatness means he probably won’t let go of the landmark goal of 1000 goals, which is currently 27 years away.
But imagine him doing that. Could there be a better ending?
Despite this, the most capped international player will never appear on a global stage like this again. In that sense, this dance is the last dance of the greatest athlete of all time.
If this is the end, Ronaldo will leave an interesting legacy in the world’s biggest tournament. Although he could have had several milestones to his name, his legacy remains unfulfilled.
What records still need to be achieved?
After this summer, only Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will have played in six World Cups. But if he scores one goal he will do what he was unable to do at the Euros two years ago and become the first player to score in six World Cups.
Messi leads the total number of appearances with 26. Ronaldo is four behind with 22. It is impossible for Messi not to play for the Argentina national team. However, he was only able to play in 29 games as the defending champions were unlikely to be eliminated at the group stage.
Ronaldo could surpass that record if Portugal progress all the way and play every game.
He may even surpass Argentina as the oldest scorer in a World Cup final. Messi is in second place after Sweden. Nils Ridholm He was 35 years and 264 days old when he scored in the 1958 final.
Ronaldo turns 41 years, 5 months, and 14 days old on July 19th. This breaks the existing record. This is also true for the oldest player in the World Cup finals. The current record is 40 years and 133 days. Dino Zoff.
The final record he is eyeing is being the oldest scorer in all competitions in the competition’s history, an honor now reserved for his former team-mate. pepe.
Does this World Cup define Ronaldo’s international legacy?
Let’s say Ronaldo claims all of the aforementioned records. That means he has six records to his name. That’s no big deal. But to do that, you have to advance to the finals. Otherwise, you can only ask for three of them. Still impressive, but probably not enough to overshadow his relatively disappointing record in this tournament.
Ronaldo has never advanced to the semifinals. The only time he reached the semifinals was in his first World Cup in 2006. It was 20 years ago.
As for his record of scoring in five consecutive World Cups, there is a feeling of wanting more from the face of a generation, considering he has scored just eight times in four tournaments and failed to score on more than one occasion.
Cristiano Ronaldo completed his only World Cup hat-trick with a stunning free kick against Spain.
It’s not all his fault. The Portuguese squads in 2010 and 2014 were not particularly strong and had no chance of putting in the effort to reach the latter stages of the competition. But this is where a superstar is needed to create moments.
Which Ronaldo moment at the World Cup was real? Only two come to mind. His undoubtedly stunning hat-trick against Spain in 2018. Other than that, all he really had was that infamous wink after Wayne Rooney was sent off in the quarter-finals of 2006.
Cristiano Ronaldo was at the center of controversy after Wayne Rooney’s red card in the 2006 World Cup final.
Compare it to mesh, for example. Not only did he win the trophy, he almost single-handedly led Argentina to glory eight years ago in 2014.
It is difficult to criticize Ronaldo in any way. This is especially true in international soccer. No one has more hats. No one has goals anymore. He was an inspiration both on and off the pitch in 2016. But that has never happened to him in a World Cup. This is his final time changing that story. Otherwise, it will remain with him forever.
Could Ronaldo further hinder Portugal’s chances?
Regardless of World Cup performance, Roberto Martinez had to include Ronaldo in his squad. Failure to do so will result in bigger headaches.
But it could be problematic if there’s an argument to be made that he’s still the be-all and end-all of this group of players. His pursuit and subsequent failure to score last Euros was a major talking point of the team’s tournament.
Ronaldo had to be consoled by his teammates after missing a penalty kick in the Euro 2024 round of 16 tie against Slovenia.
The reality is that with stars like Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Joao Neves enjoying their best seasons to date, there is less need than ever to rely on Ronaldo.
As Portuguese football expert Kevin Fernandez said: sky sports: “Ronaldo will always be a star, but in football terms he is an asset to Portugal, not a star. For the good of his country, one of the most clinical finishers of all time should focus on providing the final touch as an elite poacher and not try to disrupt the flow of the Portuguese attack with his constant desire for the ball.
“It may sound strange, but given his limitations in the press and the nature of his team-mates who provide more dynamism to the Portuguese attack, Ronaldo should be viewed as an asset rather than an untouchable asset.”
Is that exactly the role Ronaldo wants this summer? no. That’s not in his DNA. In fact, no one will care if it leads to glory.
If he scores in his sixth consecutive tournament and is pictured holding the trophy at the end of that tournament, no one will remember that he played an inferior role.
All they will remember is that Cristiano Ronaldo brought Portugal their first World Cup in his final act and, if so, bid an irrevocable farewell to the beautiful game.
