Ronaldo knows the questions are always coming. It’s just how it is, even at forty-one.
Is this his last World Cup? When does he actually stop playing? Is he still that player everyone remembers?
He answered them all on the eve of Portugal’s clash against Spain in Dallas. The pressure was palpable there.
“I am not the player I used to be,” Ronaldo admitted. It hung in the air.
But then, the Portuguese captain quickly shifted the focus. He reminded everyone that he wasn't finished yet.
He pointed instead to his three goals at this World Cup. “I am not doing too bad,” he said. A small concession maybe.
Then came the real kicker, something sharp. “When I choose, not when you choose.” That line really cut through the noise. Retirement dominated that whole press conference. But Ronaldo made it clear the timeline was his own business.
“I always put body and soul trying to get our goals,” he said. Playing or not playing, he insisted there would always be an important role for him. A necessary one.
He repeated the core idea again. “As I said before, I will stop when I choose, not when you choose.” You just keep asking the same thing. It’s exhausting.
“I don’t want to draw attention to this because it is less important,” he mumbled. A flicker of something else there. Dismissing the noise.
He reserved his strongest words for those who kept writing him off. Those who tried to kill him for these last twenty-three years. “You must have seen that is not worth it, it’s a waste of time,” he pushed. He emphasized it again and again.
The veteran even managed a joke. He singled out one reporter in jest. A little moment of human connection amidst the intensity. “I know he does not like me,” Ronaldo said with a grin before inviting that reporter to ask something.
“To speak to you, some of you, those who don’t like us especially I remember people’s faces very well.” It felt personal. A strange thing coming from such a public space.
Whether Portugal’s meeting with Spain actually signals his final World Cup appearance remains totally uncertain. The all-time leading scorer refused to give a date for ending his career. But he insisted there would be no regrets, not even if the outcome was shaky.
“Whatever happens tomorrow,” he concluded. “Cristiano Ronaldo will leave with a clear conscience not one hundred percent, but a thousand percent because in life and football I gave everything.” That felt like the real message. A final statement, maybe just for himself.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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