Cristiano Ronaldo’s career end is starting to turn out to be a strange spectacle. The longer it drags on, the more he seems to diminish his own legend status.
Unlike Lionel Messi, who retired from the national team this month after reaching a final World Cup final with Argentina, the Portuguese striker continues to believe in his ability to finish at the very top.
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Ronaldo recently clashed with new national team manager Jorge Jesus over a lack of game time – and the incident led to a rather explosive statement from the 41-year-old player. After leaving Portugal’s camp early, he also inflated the mood by liking a social media post critical of his teammates.
The Al-Nassr star has quickly made headlines again this week with comments that caused quite a stir.
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Georgina Rodríguez of course caused a stir on social media by publicly criticizing national team manager Jorge Jesus, but those waves are nothing compared to what is coming next.
CNN Portugal shared an interview with Ronaldo in which he made some typically bold comments. The experienced striker defended his status in the match and stated (via The Athletic):
“The best in history is me, period. The numbers speak for themselves. If I get there (to 1000 goals), it’s amazing, a goal, but I don’t think about the long term.”
That’s a strong claim, as many would argue that Messi, as well as older icons like Pelé and Diego Maradona, are seen as superior footballers – especially since these three all managed to win the World Cup. Still, Ronaldo doubled down on his position. He reportedly added:
“People don’t value the shape I’m in, my goals.”
According to Mundo Deportivo, CNN Portugal deleted several excerpts from the interview hours after publication. However, this is not because Ronaldo said something that was considered too controversial, but rather because the quotes are old.
Media outlets such as The Athletic picked up the quotes in the belief that they were new. But the statements actually came in 2025, from an interview with Ronaldo’s friend Edu Aguirre for the Spanish TV channel La Sexta.
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In the same interview, he said of his retirement plans: “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Maybe one day I’ll wake up and lose motivation and don’t want to play anymore. I really don’t know what can happen.”
It is interesting now that, over a year after the quotes, it is still unclear when Ronaldo will hang up his boots. He has said that the 2026 World Cup would be his last attempt to win that tournament, so many expected him to retire as a national team player this summer.
But even after his breakup with new boss Jesus, the 41-year-old does not yet seem ready to leave Portugal. He said in a recent statement: “If I am physically healthy, playing for my club, with goals I hope, after serving the suspension that may be imposed on me, I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team.”
Ronaldo is only temporarily suspended for his actions, while Portugal coach Jesus has said that the player is welcome back: “If he wants, he will return to the national team. We can talk before the next call-up, but it is Cris who will decide.”
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