By: Luis Imana
The Portuguese team embarks on a year of uncertainty after participating in the World Cup Qatar 2022where they fell out in the quarterfinals against Morocco.
The defeat against the African team was a hard blow not only for the Portuguese fans but also for Cristiano Ronaldo, who would have played in his last World Cup tournament.
The five-time Ballon d’Or player started the group stage as a regular, but Fernando Santos opted to bench ‘CR7’ in the knockout stages, sparking a wave of criticism over the managerial choice .
Portugal’s departure from Qatar 2022 which was involved Cristiano Walking into the dressing room in a sea of tears, he had a harsh impact on the Madeiran-born man, to the point that he had considered curtailing his continuity with the Portuguese team.
At the age of 37, Ronaldo mentioned last September that he intends to defend his country’s colors until at least Euro 2024. However, the bitter moment he experienced at the World Cup would prompt a review of the former Manchester United’s plans.
Cristiano Ronaldo would sign for Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr for two and a half seasons. Photo: Composition LR/Sport/Marca
Cristiano’s future in Portugal it would be in the hands of the next manager, who takes over Fernando Santos. From Portugal, they point out that José Mourinho, Leonardo Jardim and Louis Van Gaal would be the main candidates to fill the Portuguese team’s bench.
The 2016 European champion is going through one of his most difficult periods at a professional level. Aside from failing to win the trophy won by his eternal rival Lionel Messi, ‘CR7’ had a tumultuous departure from Manchester United following the controversial comments he made about Erik Ten Haag, the administration and his former team-mates had given up.
At the moment Ronaldo is looking for a new club to maintain his validity in the “beautiful sport”. One of the strongest options would be Saudi Arabia, where Al Nassr offered him a juicy deal for two and a half years as a player and until 2030 as an ambassador.
The next few days will be crucial for Cristiano to define the club he will play for and with which he will try to continue his legacy as one of the best footballers in history. The hunger for fame is something the Portuguese star has in abundance.