Cristiano Ronaldo would have wanted a better send-off in what was the last World Cup of his career, one that ended with Portugal eliminated in the Round of 16 by Spain. The truth is the forward fell well short of the expectations placed on him heading into the tournament, managing to score just three goals.
Amidst this situation, Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario addressed on ESPN Brasil’s Resenha do 9 why the Portuguese star is no longer unstoppable the way he once was, the same going for Neymar.
“Normally your body lets you know you can’t keep up anymore. I think both Cristiano and Neymar reached that point of agreement between themselves and their bodies — that the battle with your body is really a tough one, very hard to win,” Ronaldo began by explaining.
The Brazilian went on to say that while Ronaldo still has the level to compete in Saudi Arabia, that level isn’t enough to do so at the World Cup. “Cristiano had even greater longevity, but maybe he’s still got the level to play in Saudi Arabia, while at a World Cup, we’ve seen it’s a lot harder, the level is a lot higher,” he continued.
Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal shows dejection after the team’s 0-1 defeat to Spain. (Getty Images)
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona forward went on to explain how that physical decline forces even the most explosive players to adapt their game entirely until, in the end, it’s the body itself that determines how far you can go.
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“And normally your body warns you, but before, you used to blow past everyone, run right through them — now it’s not like that anymore, you have to find other solutions. I think that’s basically it. Despite our passion, our love for the game, our desire to keep playing forever, I think in the end, the body is what decides for us,” Ronaldo concluded.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s quiet World Cup finale
For all the storylines surrounding his final tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo’s numbers stayed modest. The Portugal captain finished the 2026 World Cup with just three goals in six appearances: a scoreless opener against DR Congo, a brace against Uzbekistan in the group stage, and a penalty against Croatia in the Round of 32.
Ronaldo went quiet from there, failing to find the net in Portugal’s Round of 16 exit, a 1-0 loss to Spain decided by Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time winner. He still made history along the way, becoming the first player ever to score in six different World Cup editions, but the tournament closed on a somber note as Ronaldo confirmed it marked the end of his international career.
