FIFA WC 2026: Cristiano Ronaldo posts 'Portugal Forever' message after WC exit

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Cristiano Ronaldo expressed solidarity with his national team despite all the speculation about his international football future following Portugal’s FIFA World Cup round of 16 exit against Spain. 

The legendary striker, who confirmed before kickoff that this tournament would be his final World Cup, walked off the pitch in tears. A decisive late goal from Mikel Merino sealed Portugal’s fate as they struggled to break a resilient Spanish defence.

Turning to social media, the captain avoided dropping any clear indicators regarding his long-term future. Instead, he shared a photo of the starting team huddled together on Instagram with the caption “Portugal Sempre”, translating to “Portugal Forever”.

Addressing his immediate plans after the final whistle, legendary Cristiano Ronaldo said that while it was his last WC, he would not be taking ‘rash decisions’ about his future in a Portugal jersey.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s record-breaking Portugal career

Since making his tournament debut in 200, Ronaldo’s World Cup path has included round-of-16 exits in 2010 and 2018, a group-stage exit in 2014, and a quarterfinal run in 2022. He finishes his World Cup career with 11 goals across 27 matches, the second-highest appearance tally in history. 

While his final match saw him set an unwanted record of taking 17 shots without creating a single opportunity for his teammates, his individual campaign at the World Cup was decent, scoring three goals in five matches.

The 41-year-old repeatedly rewrote the history books during this tournament. In the round of 32 victory against Croatia, he became the oldest player to feature in a knockout game and set a milestone alongside legendary Luka Modric as the first time two outfield players aged 40 or above shared a World Cup pitch. 

He also became the oldest knockout scorer in tournament history at 41 years and 147 days by netting his first-ever knockout goal. Earlier in the group stage, a brace against Uzbekistan in a 5-0 victory pushed him past Eusebio to become Portugal’s outright leading World Cup scorer while becoming the first male player to score in six separate editions.

Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed he will continue playing club football while his international future is still in the air.

(With inputs from ANI)

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