Quitting Portugal team never crossed my mind, says Ronaldo

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo dismissed suggestions he had considered ending his international career in the near future, adding that post-Euro criticism did not worry him.

Portugal host Croatia in their Nations League opener on Thursday before welcoming Scotland in League A Group One on Sunday.

“That’s all from the press. It never crossed my mind that my cycle (with Portugal) had come to an end. Quite the opposite: it gave me even more motivation to continue to be honest,” Ronaldo told a press conference on Monday.

“The motivation is to come to the national team to win the Nations League ... We’ve already won it once and we want to do it again. I might say the same thing over and over again, but I don’t think long term, it’s always short term.”

Ronaldo captained Portugal to success in the opening edition of the Nations League in 2018-19, three years after they became European Champions for the first time in France.

“Until the end of my career, I will always have the mindset that I will be a starter,” Ronaldo added.

“What I feel at the moment, and the coach’s (Roberto Martinez) words also demonstrate this, is that I continue to be an asset to the national team and I will be the first (to admit it) if that isn’t the case.

“When I’m (no longer) an asset I will be the first to leave. But I will go with a clear conscience, as always, because I know who I am, what I can do, what I do and what I will continue to do.”

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has been playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia for almost two years now, failed to score as he appeared at a record sixth European Championship this year, with Portugal exiting in the quarter-finals.

The 39-year-old appeared untroubled by criticism he faced for failing to score at the 2024 European Championship.

“Criticism is great because if it doesn’t exist there’s no progress. It’s always been like this. Is it going to change now? It won’t,” Ronaldo said.

“So I try to follow my path, be as professional as possible, help in the best way possible with my professionalism and not just with goals, assists, discipline, and example, because football is much more than just playing well or scoring a goal.

“The people who give their opinions have never been in a locker room, and I often laugh because it’s the same thing as me talking about Formula 1.

“How can I give my opinion on Formula 1 if I don’t know anything about tires, rims or the weight of the car ... It’s normal and that’s why for me criticism is good and part of it, it’s no problem at all.”

Portugal and Spain both play on Thursday to start a new UEFA Nations League less than two months after the European Championship final in Germany.

Though Ronaldo has captained Portugal to win past editions of both competitions — the 2019 Nations League and Euro 2016 — Spain now holds both trophies sparked by an exciting wave of talent.

Lamine Yamal, the 17-year-old sensation of Euro 2024, and 20-year-old Gavi were not born when Ronaldo played in his first major tournament final, the Euro 2004 loss to Greece.

Some of Ronaldo’s peak career years clashed with the great Spain team that won an unprecedented three straight titles at Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. In the last two of those, Spain eliminated Portugal in the knockout rounds.

Now Spain is back on top before the 2026 World Cup, that could yet see a 41-year-old Ronaldo - and Lionel Messi who would turn 39 during the tournament in North America - play at a record sixth edition.

When asked about his World Cup plans on Monday, Ronaldo said in translated comments, “I can’t give you an answer because I don’t know what will happen.”

Ronaldo was dropped from the Portugal team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and failed to score in five games at Euro 2024. Now he is preparing to face Croatia on Thursday and add to his men’s national-team records of 212 games and 130 goals.

Agencies