Cristiano Ronaldo weighed ending his Portugal career after the World Cup and acknowledged on Thursday that some critics at home want him out of the team.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo was confirmed by coach Jorge Jesus as a starter for this 234th Portugal game against Wales in the Nations League.
Asked at a pre-game news conference if he thought of stopping his international career in July, after Portugal’s round-of-16 loss to Spain, Ronaldo said, “Yes, I did. Of course, I’m always thinking on my decisions, my future, the present also.”
“I had a conversation with our president, with our coach,” he said of Jesus, whose previous job was leading Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr to the Saudi league title in May. “I still believe that I’m able to help the national team to reach what they want and will finish when I feel like I’m not doing anything here.”
Ronaldo, who captained Portugal to the previous Nations League title in 2025, is closing in on 1,000 career goals.
“This is a new young generation,” he said. “But for me the basic point is to be able on the pitch to score the goals and to help the team win games.”
The superstar player is not universally still admired in his home country.
