Although Cristiano Ronaldo had an insane goal robbed by the narrowest of offsides from VAR with the point of shoulder, showcasing that golden and fluid first touch transitioned into a finish of his, he still grabbed his goal with another cool headed penalty kick to breathe life into Portugal. His side would eventually win 2-1 over former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric in a nail biter of a match that will go down in World Cup history.
Ronaldo's win staved off the potential for that game against Croatia to be the last of his World Cup career, as his sister had told reporters prior to the game that the 2026 World Cup would be his final international action with Portugal - the team he helped lead to a historic European Championship 10 years earlier.
Cristiano Ronaldo is not finished yet
But Cristiano himself is saying not so fast. After the game, as relayed by Fabrizio Romano, the greatest player in his country's history acknowledged what his sister said about his future but clarified that deciding now would be "reckless" and that he will actually decide his national team future after the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo said, “I don't make reckless decisions. I will decide after the tournament, not now”.
The 41 year old has always drawn parallels to his close friend from the NFL, Tom Brady, as guys obsessed with the game and obsessed with winning, and like Brady, Ronaldo is not going to hang up the cleats early, especially since he is still scoring goals; he already has three this World Cup for a Portugal team that isn't exactly known for being a high flying scoring team.
Real Madrid fans would love if Ronaldo keeps the fond memories going. Saying goodbye to Luka Modric after Portugal's win over Croatia is already hard enough, but then losing the greatest ever Madridista from international competition at Euros, World Cups, and everything in between would be a massive loss; it would be the end of the childhood of a lot of fans of the club and around the world.
But Ronaldo's message to the wider footballing world is clear. His future is not yet decided, and that implies if he keeps scoring goals and feeling good, he will not step aside from Portugal. And while the talkers in the media who do not care about Portugal always tell him to step down, everyone with a vested interest in the Selecao will always want him there.
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