NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
The career of one of the greatest players to ever grace the pitch, Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, is likely coming to an end, and FOX Sports’ Kasper Schmeichel, a former Denmark goalkeeper, believes it will be difficult for the 41-year-old to accept that reality.
“I know exactly what he feels right now,” Schmeichel said of Ronaldo after Spain eliminated Portugal from the 2026 World Cup on Monday. “Playing for your country means everything. Look at his body language. It hits you, and it hits you harder than you would ever expect.
“Even at his age, I don’t care how many goals you score or how many trophies you have, that’s not his mentality. His mentality is this. He wants to win, he wants to move on, he wants to show that he is still the best.”
Ronaldo and Portugal advanced to Group K of the 2026 World Cup after finishing 1-2-0 in group play. Then, after a victory over Croatia in the round of 32, they were eliminated by Lamine Yamal and Spain in the round of 16. Following Portugal’s defeat, Ronaldo said this was his “last” World Cup but he is still reflecting on his future in the sport elsewhere.
The 2026 World Cup marked the sixth such tournament in which Ronaldo played for Portugal, and the club failed to record a win in any of those six years (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026). Ronaldo scored three goals in Portugal’s five games in this tournament, highlighted by a brace against Uzbekistan in the group stage.
The superstar forward has 11 World Cup goals and ranks first all-time with 976 goals in 1,326 combined games.
“I think that, at this moment, Cristiano is realizing that he will not play in the World Cup again. In those stadiums, you will not be able to play in them again. That is something very, very difficult, and it is something that I have not yet come to terms with,” Schmeichel said. “It’s an ongoing process. But I think he’s the type of guy who’s going to want to keep going. He’s going to want to keep playing, and he doesn’t need to, but he does it because he loves it. He loves the game. He’s still physically capable of playing.
“Don’t let them take it away from you, but another World Cup is four years away, so chances are it won’t be there, and that will be very, very difficult to accept.”
Ronaldo has spent the last four years at Al-Nassr FC in the Saudi Pro League, averaging 29.3 goals per season over the last three years and helping them win the league title in the 2025-26 season.
Of course, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and eight-time National League champion has two seasons at Manchester United (Premier League) and stints at Real Madrid (La Liga), Juventus (Serie A) and Sporting CP (Primeira Liga) under his belt.
