Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo dismissed suggestions that he had considered retiring from international football in the near future, adding that he was not worried about the criticism following the European Championships.
Portugal host Croatia in their Nations League opener on Thursday before hosting Scotland in League A Group 1 on Sunday. Coach Roberto Martinez has named Ronaldo in the squad for the two matches.
“It’s all from the press. It never occurred to me that my cycle (with Portugal) was over,” Ronaldo said at a press conference on Monday. “On the contrary: it motivated me even more to continue to be honest.”
“The motivation is to come to the national team to win the Nations League. … We have won it before and we want to do it again. I may keep saying the same thing, but I don’t think long-term, it’s always short-term.”
Ronaldo captained Portugal to success in the inaugural edition of the 2018/19 Nations League, three years after the team won its first European championship in France.
“Until the end of my career I will always have the attitude that I will be a regular player,” Ronaldo added. “What I feel at the moment, and the words of the coach (Roberto Martinez) also show this, is that I continue to be an asset to the national team and I will be the first (to admit that) if that is not the case.”
“If I am (not) an asset, I will be the first to go. But as always, I will leave with a clear conscience, because I know who I am, what I can do, what I do and what I will continue to do.”
The 39-year-old did not seem to mind the criticism he faced for failing to score at the 2024 European Championship. He also missed a penalty in extra time in Germany’s round of 16 match against Slovenia, but Portugal won the match on penalties.
“Criticism is great because if there is no criticism there is no progress. That’s how it’s always been. Will that change now? It won’t,” said Ronaldo. “So I try to go my own way, be as professional as possible, help as best I can with my professionalism and not just with goals, assists, discipline and being a role model, because football is much more than just playing well or scoring a goal.”
“The people who express their opinions have never been in a dressing room and I often laugh because it’s the same as talking about Formula 1.
“How can I express my opinion on Formula 1 when I have no idea about tires, rims or the weight of the car? … That’s normal and that’s why criticism is good for me and part of it. It’s not a problem at all.”
This story uses information from Reuters.
