Legendary soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo said Tuesday that this year’s European Championship will be the final one of his career.
Ronald confirmed his Euro future in an interview with Portugal TV’s RTP (h/t ESPN’s Adriana Garcia), saying:
“Without a doubt it’s the last Euro [for me], of course it is.
“But I’m not emotional about that. I’m moved by everything that football entails, by the enthusiasm I have for the game, the enthusiasm I see in the fans, having my family here, people’s passion… it’s not about leaving the world of football. What else is there for me to do or win?”
The 39-year-old veteran, who is playing in a record sixth career European Championship, has helped Portugal reach the quarterfinals of Euro 2024.
While Portugal are now three wins away from their second-ever Euro title, the tournament has been a struggle for Ronaldo thus far.
The all-time leading goal scorer across all major competitions has yet to score a goal at Euro 2024 in Germany, and he nearly went out on the lowest note imaginable.
In Monday’s Round of 16 match against Slovenia, Ronaldo took a penalty with the score tied in the 114th minute, but goalkeeper Jan Oblak turned it away.
The match ended up going to penalty kicks, which is always a crapshoot, but Ronaldo was fortunate that Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa came up big, as he stopped all three of Slovenia’s attempts to seal the win for Portugal.
Eight years ago, Ronaldo and Portugal won Euro 2016 in France, marking what is still the crowning international achievement of Ronaldo’s career.
They also reached the final in 2004 and semifinal in 2012, so it is fair to say that Ronaldo has nothing left to prove in the event.
However, Ronaldo going public with the information that it is his final Euro could be a wise tactical move in terms of motivating the squad as a whole to go the distance and win it for him one last time.
Given that Ronaldo will be 43 at the next Euro in 2028, his stance comes as little surprise, although it doesn’t make it any less sad of a prospect for soccer fans.
Assuming Ronaldo does attempt to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at 41 years of age, that could prove to be his final international event, which would mark the end of an era.
For now, the focus remains on Euro 2024 and Portugal potentially establishing themselves as European champions for the second time in eight years.
However, if Ronaldo and Portugal are going to get it done, they must go through France in the quarters, who are the top-ranked European team in the FIFA rankings at No. 2 in the world.