Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a goal [AFP]
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a goal [AFP]

Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old Portuguese superstar on what he has called his last dance, said he intends to enjoy every moment of the 2026 World Cup for as long as it lasts.

Speaking at a press conference in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday — one day before Portugal's round-of-16 match against Spain — Ronaldo said he is trying to make the most of what he knows will be his final World Cup. "I hope tomorrow is not my last World Cup game," he said. "God willing, we keep moving forward."

Now past 40 and appearing at his sixth World Cup, Ronaldo will be 45 by the time the next tournament comes around. When retirement questions followed naturally, he pushed back with a smile, saying the press was "trying to rush" his exit from the game, before settling into a more measured response.

"I lack nothing," he said. "God has been so generous to me, particularly with the national team — giving me everything I never expected." He added that winning the World Cup would not change who he is. "Winning the World Cup doesn't make me more or less Cristiano. I just enjoy each day," he said.

Ronaldo has been in fine form at the tournament, scoring three goals in the group stage to bring his World Cup career tally to 11.

He acknowledged that he is no longer the same player he once was. "Throughout my career I've been aware that I'm not the same player as before, and I've adapted to the nuances that come with age," he said. "But the fact that I can still score goals hasn't changed. I hope to score tomorrow, and if I can't, I hope my teammates will."

Portugal are aiming to beat Spain and reach the quarterfinals for a second consecutive tournament. The best result of the Ronaldo era remains a semifinal appearance at the 2006 World Cup — his debut on the tournament stage.

"Tomorrow will be a battle, a very tough battle," Ronaldo said. "All we have to do is believe strongly, run and be brave. Honestly, that's the only way to beat Spain."


yjc@heraldcorp.com