Ronaldo was benched by Portugal manager Fernando Santos for both of his team’s knockout stage games, and he was visibly furious when he walked off the field against Morocco with just ten touches in the second half. It was speculated that Ronaldo will retire from international duty after the World Cup due to his lack of participation, but it appears that he has no plans to do so just yet.
According to Correio de Manha, he remains committed to playing for Portugal for the next two years and could possibly represent the Selecao das Quinas at Euro 2024, when he will be 39 years old. Ronaldo is reportedly aware that he is far from his greatest form at the moment, but he believes that his absence in preseason and lack of club minutes before to his departure from Manchester United were two major contributors to his lackluster performances at the World Cup.
Former member of the Red Devils is reportedly adamant that he can continue to be a great asset for Portugal for at least two more years, however it remains to be seen whether he will be able to return to the starting lineup as long as Santos is in charge. The Portugal manager recently stated that he does not regret moving Ronaldo to the bench at the World Cup, suggesting that he will not be scared to do so again if the 37-year-old is still in the squad for Euro 2024.
“I don’t believe so, I have no regrets,” Santos told reporters following Portugal’s early elimination from the World Cup. “I believe this team performed admirably against Switzerland. Cristiano Ronaldo is a wonderful player, and he entered the game when we deemed it essential, so we have no regrets.
“If we had to choose two people who were the most offended, it would be Cristiano Ronaldo and myself,” “Of course, we’re disappointed, but that’s part of our job as coaches and players.”
Ronaldo, meanwhile, resorted to Instagram to vent his anger after being eliminated from the World Cup by Morocco last week. He said: “The greatest and most ambitious goal of my career was to win a World Cup with Portugal. Thankfully, I won numerous international titles, including Portugal, but my greatest ambition was to place our nation’s name on the highest foot in the world.
“I battled for it. I labored hard to achieve this goal. Five times in 16 years, I scored in the World Cup, always among great players and with the support of millions of Portuguese. Leave everything on the field. I never turned away from the battle, and I never gave up on my dream.
“Yesterday, sadly, the dream ended. It is not worthwhile to react to heat. I simply wanted to let you all know that although much has been said, published, and speculated, my commitment to Portugal has not altered in the least. I have always fought for the common goal, and I have never turned my back on my colleagues or my country.”