Cristiano Ronaldo has vowed to continue playing for Portugal until at least after Euro 2024 after his country’s shock exit from the Qatar World Cup, according to reports.
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Portugal crashed out of the tournament with a 1-0 defeat by Morocco in the quarter-final on Saturday through Youssef En-Nesyri’s header. After the final whistle, there were emotional scenes when Ronaldo walked down the tunnel in tears.
The forner Manchester United player was distraught after his team’s loss as he stormed into the Portugal dressing room while being consoled by a member of the backroom staff. This came after Ronaldo failed to make an impact during his time on the pitch, having come on for the last 40 minutes.
There have since been rumours circulating around Ronaldo’s international future, but it is believed the striker doesn’t want to retire and hopes to play at one last tournament.
That’s according to Desporto Mundial, which reports Ronaldo ‘believes that he can continue to be useful to the national team’ and that is the reason why he won’t quit playing for Portugal soon.
The 37-year-old is aware that he is not in his best form but knows the fact he did not have a pre-season at United has affected him in recent months. Ronaldo also believes he hasn’t had a consistent run of starts after he dropped out of the XI at the Red Devils after the 4-0 loss at Brentford in August.
Ronaldo was also named on the bench for Portugal’s knockout games at the World Cup, with Goncalo Ramos preferred in the striker role.
Despite his side’s exit from the competition, Santos revealed he had no regrets over benching him for the win over Switzerland and defeat by Morocco, with Ronaldo frustrated by being left out of the starting line-up.
A Bola reported this week that Santos is set to step down from his post as Portugal manager, putting a further twist on Ronaldo’s future. He has been at the helm for over eight years and guided the Selecao to Euro 2016 glory, which was their first-ever international tournament triumph.
After the win over Switzerland, when Ronaldo was first dropped, Santos said: “I have a very close relationship with him – I always have. I have known him since he was 19 years old. This relationship only develops.”
With Santos expected to exit his role, Ronaldo would have to impress the next manager or be in his plans ahead of Euro 2024, if Portugal are able to qualify.
