Cristiano Ronaldo caught red-handed by lie detector test after making FIFA World Cup claim about Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo was caught lying when asked the intriguing question of whether Portugal would win the FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo took part in a lie detector test with Binance and he was asked some questions ranging from his own career to clubs he has played for. However, one question and answer that stood out were about his national team.
The all-time international top goalscorer was asked if Portugal would win the World Cup. He responded after much thought:
"Yes."
Unfortunately for Cristiano Ronaldo, the machine determined that he was lying, much to his surprise. He reacted by laughing and saying:
"What a pessimist, huh?"
Portugal were touted as a potential dark horse to win the World Cup last year in Qatar. However, Selecao das Quinas crashed out in the quarterfinals, losing 1-0 to Morocco.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won plenty of trophies during his illustrious career, but the World Cup has eluded him. The closest he has come to winning it was his debut campaign in 2006, where Selecao finished fourth.
The Portugal captain may have doubts about his team's ability to win the coveted trophy, having failed to do so on five separate occasions. Ronaldo watched on as his longtime rival Lionel Messi won the World Cup last year with Argentina.
A young crop of talent is getting into the Portugal squad now, and it seems inevitable that Ronaldo won't be part of the 2026 World Cup. The Al Nassr superstar will be 41 when the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada takes place.
Ronaldo has scored eight goals and provided two assists in 22 World Cup games. He sits just below Portuguese icon Eusebio, whose nine goals are a record for Selecao.
Cristiano Ronaldo claimed last year that his World Cup dream had ended
Cristiano Ronaldo signaled that his World Cup dream had ended when Portugal crashed out of last year's competition. The legendary striker was unable to help guide Selecao further than the quarterfinals.
The 38-year-old was dropped by former manager Fernando Santos in both of his nations' knockout stage games. Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 in the last 16 courtesy Goncalo Ramos' hat-trick; the striker replaced Ronaldo in the starting lineup.
However, Portugal were then beaten by Morocco, ending Ronaldo's hopes of winning the tournament. He took to Instagram after the defeat to signal the end of his World Cup story:
"Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career... Sadly yesterday the dream ended."
The cryptic post led many to believe that Ronaldo was also bringing an end to his international career. However, Portugal sacked Santos after the World Cup and replaced him with Roberto Martinez.
Cristiano Ronaldo has quickly returned to Selecao's starting lineup and impressed during Euro 2024 qualifiers. He has bagged four goals in five qualifying games, becoming the first player to appear in 200 international matches in the process.