Cristiano Ronaldo to RETIRE from international football after the World Cup, his sister reveals

Cristiano Ronaldo will end his long career in Portugal after the World Cup, his sister said.

Katia Aveiro said that Portuguese fans can say ‘farewell’ to the 41-year-old star and that the tournament to be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico will be his ‘last dance’ with the national team.

The news comes just hours before Ronaldo faces Croatia in Toronto to reach the last 16 of the World Cup.

“Based on the information I have, they could say goodbye,” he told Sport TV outside Toronto Stadium.

‘Not today, but I guess this is farewell. I’m talking about the national team. According to a reliable source, this is the “last dance”, the World Cup.’

Ronaldo won his 232nd international cap after being included in the starting 11 to face Croatia. He is the all-time men’s international goal scorer for his country with 145 goals.

The claim was made by his sister Katia Aveiro, who spoke before the Portugal-Croatia match.

His impending departure from the Portuguese national team will not come as a surprise. Ronaldo will be 43 years old during the Euro tournament in 2028 and 45 when his country hosts the next World Cup along with Spain and Morocco.

The Al-Nassr star endured a mixed tournament in North America, scoring twice against Uzbekistan after a disappointing performance in Portugal’s opening match with the DR Congo to draw 1-1.

The laborious display against the African side led to claims of a ‘civil war’ in the Portuguese dressing room.

This follows accusations against teammates from Ronaldo’s zealous fan base, including Aveiro, over an alleged plot to drive aging away from the game.

Aveiro liked an Instagram post attacking Bruno Fernandes after the DR Congo draw, leading to claims of tension in the Portuguese camp.

However, Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cups by scoring twice against Uzbekistan. He later said ‘I’m back’ before abruptly leaving the post-match interview when asked about Lionel Messi.

Regarding the message he sent to the cameras, he said, “Do not forget, so that you do not forget.”

‘I knew it. God helps the worker. It was a tough and dark week, I felt like I had already retired from football but I held on like I always do because I believe in hard work more than football. I must admit it was difficult but we came back.

He said about the historic moment: ‘I am very happy, but the most important thing for me was the work done by the team and the trust placed in us.

‘We took a lot of hits throughout the week, we knew this was coming. The team worked very well, we improved a lot. As they say, there is evil that comes with good.

Ronaldo opened his account by scoring twice against Uzbekistan, making him the first man to score in six World Cups.

Speaking for myself, it’s always nice to break records, but my goal is to help the national team achieve its goals. In this section, it was necessary to pass the knockout round with four points, I think we have already achieved that.’

Ronaldo’s first goal for his country came 20 years ago, when he scored against Iran in Frankfurt, Germany.

He added a third against North Korea in 2010 and a third against Ghana in Brazil four years later. Four more followed in Russia in 2018: a hat-trick against Spain in the opening game and another against Morocco.

He then scored the only goal in the match against Ghana at Qatar 2022, becoming the first player to score in all five editions of the tournament; This is a record since his great rival Lionel Messi scored in this tournament.

However, Ronaldo is now on the field alone with the goals he has scored in six tournaments; An excellent response to those who felt that he had a negative impact on the team when he failed to register shots on target in the first leg against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward also made history against Croatia as the 41-year-old became the first player to start a World Cup qualifying match.