We just caught wind of the exact date in which Cristiano Ronaldo plans to hang up his boots with the Portugal National Team.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s career with Portugal has been nothing short of incredible, we just need to take a look at his whole run. From the moment he started representing his country as a teenager, it was clear we were in the presence of a future legend. The whole journey started at the 2004 Euros in his country. Portugal hosted the tournament with a teenage Cristiano Ronaldo who had barely started his career at Manchester United.
Back then, he had Luis Figo as his biggest example of a legendary player to follow. The achievements Ronaldo made over the years were proof that he was always destined for incredible things with his national team. His side reached the 2004 final against Greece but they weren’t able to win the title. After that, Portugal reached the World Cup’s semifinals but was eliminated by Zinedine Zidane’s France in 2006.
Cristiano played another three World Cups after that, but his side wasn’t able to get far in the competition. Over the years, the Portugal legend made his numbers grow even more when he was deemed a veteran. CR7 also found his biggest international success as a seasoned veteran.
Ronaldo the record-breaker and his final World Cup.
Just last month, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first European player to reach 100 international goals with his country. More than half of them came after he turned 30 years old. In fact, the Juventus star played a total of 49 matches and scored 52 goals in a little less than six years. His collective success also came as a veteran after winning the UEFA Euro in 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019.
But he still has at least two more major tournaments to share with the rest of the world. While speaking to SportBible in an unreleased interview, Cristiano Ronaldo just confirmed the 2022 World Cup will be his last as a Portugal player. A fitting end to one of the most brilliant careers in football history. Cris also has a major chance to win the competition due to the most recent generation of Portuguese players who play beside him right now.
Also, it is only natural that both he and Messi play their last World Cup in 2022. Both legends will get one last chance to win the one trophy that has resisted them for two decades. Imagine both of them reached the final and gave us the bookend we all dream of. It would be bonkers if that happened.
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