Cristiano Ronaldo stressed he will leave football with no regrets but stopped short of admitting the current World Cup would be his last ahead of Portugal’s last-16 clash with neighbours Spain in Dallas on Monday.
Ronaldo’s Focus
The 41-year-old is playing at a record sixth World Cup and although there are expectations he will have retired from the international scene by the time the next finals are played, he stressed he would end his career on his own terms.
“I will finish when I choose. You always ask the same question: is this the last one? We will see. I don’t want to draw attention to this, the most important thing is to play well tomorrow,” Ronaldo told reporters on Sunday.
“I’m going to be perfectly honest, regardless of what happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going to be 1000% leaving with a clear conscience.
“I have given all I could to football, it’s my passion to play for so many years. I didn’t do it out of need, I’m doing well out of life. It’s about passion. I play for the national team and I love to play football.
“Regardless of what happens tomorrow I’m not going to exert pressure on myself that I must win.
“You have to enjoy every match at a huge competition like the World Cup. I think I’m not doing so bad. I’ve scored three goals, others have done better but I think I’m doing not so bad.”
Match Against Spain
A relaxed Ronaldo admitted to having enjoyed the current tournament more than his previous five World Cups and was confident Roberto Martinez’s side could prevail against a Spain side who have improved as the finals have progressed.
“If we didn’t have this belief we wouldn’t be here,” he said. “It’s been a beautiful experience, we’re getting better in every match.
“We know this is a tough competition and it’s impossible to always do well. Some good teams have been eliminated and that says everything. The team is well, calm and well prepared. We’re going to face a difficult team but I think we will be prepared.”
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
