Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro’s journey at EURO 2024 is over. He officially ended the tournament with the Portuguese National Team after being defeated by France via a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals. Unable to score a single goal, Ronaldo had to close the European Cup page that he had participated in for six editions. Now it’s time for him to reflect and fight against time!
After shedding tears in the last 16 against Slovenia, Cristiano Ronaldo was asked by reporters about his retirement plans. He did not discuss the 2026 World Cup, but it is certain that EURO 2024 will be his last European Cup competition.
“Of course, this will be my last European championship,” said Ronaldo, quoted from O Jogo. At the age of 39, Ronaldo actually has a better physique than other players his age.
The contract signed with Al Nassr also still has until June 30, 2025, or when he turns 40 years old. This means that we are certain to still see Cristiano Ronaldo’s appearance in the Saudi Pro League at least until the end of next season. Then what about his career in the Portuguese National Team? What about his chances of playing after June 2025?
As someone who has contributed to Cristiano Ronaldo’s football career, Sir Alex Ferguson has a realistic view of his former protégé. He said that the 2026 World Cup seems difficult for Ronaldo to follow with the physical demands of modern football today.
“I can’t imagine him playing in 2026. Football will become faster and more athletic in the coming years. Also, the space for central strikers will become smaller. Unlike defenders, it is more difficult for strikers to play at the highest level when they are older,” Ferguson told SportBild, as reported by bola.com.
Sir Alex’s analogy certainly refers to Ronaldo’s teammate, Pepe, who now holds the record as the oldest player in the European Cup at 41 years old.
A defender will only run or sprint when in a defensive moment from the opponent’s individual movement. At other times, the defenders will take a zone-marking approach, which sometimes only requires a short jog to synchronize the position.
Meanwhile, strikers, sometimes they have to sprint when given a through ball by their teammates. In breaking down the opponent’s defense, they are also required to be able to run with the ball to get past them.
And the most tiring thing is the movement without the ball in finding space in front of the goal. Sometimes they are passed, often not.
In Portugal’s matches at EURO 2024, I often see Ronaldo always skip the second chance in his movement without the ball. For example, in one transition phase he moves to ask for the ball but his teammate doesn’t pass, he will be passive and not try to make a second movement.
This naturally happens, not laziness in playing, but purely physical limitations. At the age of 39, you can’t demand Ronaldo to always be mobile like Julian Alvarez or Erling Haaland.
The only weapon that opponents might fear in EURO 2024 is his vertical jump. This can be minimized by blocking crosses, or putting pressure on Ronaldo before making a jump.
Just like Valentino Rossi at the end of his MotoGP career, one thing that is clearly “missing” in the game of veteran stars is guts. If they are too enthusiastic, they understand their physical limits, and don’t want to end their careers with injury status.
A question from Ronaldo’s external scope must be answered, to give the Captain peace of mind that Selecao das Quinas already has a replacement figure.
However, so far, objectively it must be said “not yet”. Cristiano Ronaldo is still better than Goncalo Ramos who is a reserve at PSG, and also better than Fabio Silva, Portugal U-21 center forward.
The Portuguese National Team’s forward cadreship has often experienced stagnation. Since the era when Cristiano Ronaldo started wearing the National Team uniform (2004), here are the names of the forwards who have accompanied him in playing. Nuno Gomes, Pauleta, Hugo Almeida, Liedson, Eder, Andre Silva and Goncalo Ramos.
Clearly this is a problem that Roberto Martinez and Portugal’s PSSI must solve if they want to prepare to play without Ronaldo. If the player option at the end of the position Miss, there is none, of course it is Martinez’s job to make formation changes,
Portugal, like Indonesia and Brazil, is currently experiencing a surplus of wingers. Joao Feliz, Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota and Rafael Leao must compete for two places even though they are key players in their respective clubs.
It could be that Leao, who is more sturdy, becomes a false-nine. Or Diogo Jota is pushed to become a shadow striker. These options must be tried in Portugal’s next match, which will welcome the 2026 World Cup Qualification phase.
Cristiano Ronaldo when playing against FC Istiklol in the Asian Champions League last season. (Source: Fayez NURELDINE / AFP via tribunners.com)
The Joy of Playing in the Next Season is Key
The last discussion that could determine whether or not Cristiano Ronaldo will continue in the Portuguese National Team is his happiness playing at Al Nassr. So far, Al Nassr has always been in the shadow of Al Hilal, with the only title Ronaldo et al can present is the 2023 Arab Champions League trophy.
Next season, in addition to targeting the Saudi Pro League title, the Asian Champions League is also Al Nassr’s target. Last season, they stopped in the quarterfinals, defeated by the champion Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates.
At the beginning of next season, reportedly there are several world stars who have been linked to Al Nassr. The new Saudi Pro League regulation allowing 10 foreign players to be owned by a team will certainly be welcomed by Portugal.
Coach Luis Castro must be able to build the best team to compete with Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli next season. If he succeeds in presenting the title, of course Ronaldo will have “endorphins” to extend his career another year and close with the 2026 World Cup.
However, if it turns out that Al Nassr fails again, it could be a signal for CR7’s farewell to the green field.
As a final intermezzo, there is a possibility that CR7 wants to compete professionally on the same team as his son Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. who is now 14 years old. If he wants to stay for two more seasons, 16-year-old Ronaldo Jr. can move up to the Al Nassr main team to accompany his father, and can be one of the things that spurs CR7’s enthusiasm to defend Portugal again.
Good luck thinking and fighting with time, CR7!
ASL
