The future of Ronaldo’s national team: – The coach doesn’t have to decide now

The dream of winning the World Cup disappeared on Qatar Night, while Cristiano Ronaldo (37) cried in the players’ tunnel. Perhaps this was his last effort on the biggest stages of the icon?

Before after Portugal’s quarter-final loss to Morocco Perhaps this was the end of the man’s national team career with a record 186 caps. Norway Under-18/19 coach and Portugal’s Luis Pimenta aren’t sure if there will be more.

– The next major tournament will be the 2024 European Championship. It’s a tournament they won in 2016. If the next major tournament was the WC, a tournament he didn’t win, things could have looked different, Pimenta told VG.

Ronaldo previously said he wanted to play for Portugal in 2024. But in recent weeks things have changed for the 37-year-old and the question is whether he will prove himself in the biggest tournaments, the Champions League or international tournaments again – as he has done since 2003 in his phenomenal career.

Ronaldo is without a club after he and Manchester United broke the agreement at the start of the World Cup, after a sensation in the fall. Thus, he is free to go to a new club. Experts have expressed that they are Uncertain On whether some of the best clubs in Europe want Ronaldo. And the Spanish newspaper, Marca, wrote that Ronaldo would be ready for victory from Saudi Arabia, but Ronaldo himself denied that this week.

Another question is whether coach Fernando Santos, who has a contract until 2024, wants him to continue with Portugal. It has been Turbulent championship When it comes to Ronaldo’s role in the team. He was benched for the last two matches, and after the Morocco match, his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez publicly criticized the Santos coach.

– It’s a decision you don’t have to make until the next tournament. Pimenta believes the coach doesn’t have to decide that now – who keeps the door open.

Pepe had great performances in this tournament when he was 39 years old. Ronaldo is two years younger. That’s saying something.

ESPN’s popular soccer writer Gabriele Marcotti calls the 2022 A’s “The dreadful approach”“The dreadful approach”Latin expression for a harsh year For Ronaldo, but I’m sure we’ll see Ronaldo again at club level and maybe with Portugal. The star cried on his way to the dressing room.

“He goes to think about what it would have been if he started the game. He probably thinks about how long he wants this game to be his life – because everyone who doesn’t live under a rock knows they are without a club and are free to go where they want to go,” Marcotti wrote. .

“It’s over. Not even the most optimistic spectator can expect Cristiano Ronaldo to play in his sixth World Cup in the summer of 2026,” writes Marca writer Rubén Jimenez. on the aperture area.

«Cristiano He will retire with an enviable list of awards, with records that will be difficult for future generations to match. With the EC title, but without the golden cup that everyone honors and longs for.

Merih Demiral, her former Juventus teammate, also announced her support on Twitter on Saturday night:

Support from teammates and family is one thing, but Luis Pimenta also believes there is reason to appreciate Ronaldo from a coaching perspective.

– Both Ronaldo and Pepe are players who have given a lot to the national team, especially to the youth. If you practice, you really appreciate it. Rui Patricio is the backup goalkeeper now, having been one of Portugal’s best in previous tournaments.

In any case, the legacy of the “CR7” will not fade in its homeland.

Ronaldo is the greatest athlete we have known in Portugal. He has given a lot to Portuguese football. For the team and many around him it will be great to see him lift this trophy. It is hard and hard to swallow. But he won a lot and gave a lot to the country anyway, and he will never be forgotten.