Portugal star provides response when asked if Cristiano Ronaldo will represent country at 2026 World Cup
Bruno Fernandes has implied that Cristiano Ronaldo could represent at the 2026 FIFA World Cup if the latter feels fit and decides to take part in the tournament. Ronaldo, now 39, was largely unimpressive in the 2022 edition of the World Cup, where his team were beaten 1-0 by Morocco in the quarter-finals.
The Al-Nassr superstar featured in all five of his team's matches in Qatar and scored just once. He was even dropped to the bench for their two knockout matches by then-Portugal manager Fernando Santos.
Some believed it would be the last time Ronaldo played in the World Cup. But fast forward to September 2024, and the Portuguese legend is still going strong, starting regularly for club and country.
Asked if Ronaldo could play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, Fernandes responded (via Mirror):
"It’s his decision and it depends on whether he feels good and at a high level. We know that he is capable of reaching a certain age with this great level of demand, but it is up to him to decide and I am sure that he will decide in favour of his well-being and the national team."
Having scored 97 goals for club and country after turning 37 and boasting 68 goals in 74 matches for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has shown that he still knows where the net is. But some, including former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, believe Portugal would be better off trusting younger talent over the five-time Ballon d'Or winner at the 2026 World Cup.
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first man to score 900 career goals
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first male player to score 900 official goals when he netted in his team's 2-1 UEFA Nations League Group A1 win over Croatia on September 5. The next player on the list, Lionel Messi, trails his tally by 62 goals.
After reaching the incredible milestone, the UEFA Euro 2016 winner told the press (via AP News):
"It means a lot. It was a milestone I wanted to reach for a long time. I knew I would reach this number, because as I continue to play, it would happen naturally. It was emotional because it’s a milestone. It seems like any other milestone, but only I know, and the people around me, how hard it is to work every day, to be physically and psychologically fit, to score 900 goals. It’s a unique milestone in my career."
Out of those 900 goals, 131 have come for Portugal in 213 senior appearances. On the grandest stage of international football — the World Cup —, Ronaldo has scored eight times in 22 matches but has never reached beyond the semi-final stage.
The former Real Madrid superstar is tied with five other players for most World Cup editions participated in (5). From that list, Messi is the only other player still active.