Former Portugal manager Fernando Santos has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to play for his country in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo, despite being 39, is still going strong for club and country.
He is still Portugal's captain and is churning out impressive numbers. Ronaldo and Santos' relationship came under scrutiny during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Santos shockingly benched the legendary forward for Portugal's knockout games in the competition as the Selecaos were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Morocco. Santos, though, had nothing but praise for Ronaldo as he said during the Portuguese Football Federation's 110th anniversary:
No surprise there, I always expected him to be at a high level until late in his career. I have no doubt that he will be at the World Cup and will give his all so that Portugal can win another title. Cristiano is the best player in the world, full stop.
Fernando Santos:
“Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world” pic.twitter.com/IHAPISON3g
Santos recently also claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo respected the decision to be put on the bench during Portugal's knockout games in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He told Egyptian Channel 1:
Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player, and my relationship with him has been good since 2004, before I coached the national team. Ronaldo sitting on the bench [at the Qatar World Cup] when I was Portugal coach was a vision that Cristiano respected, and we still communicate.
Cristiano Ronaldo has shown good form in 2024-25 and has scored 17 goals and provided three assists in 20 appearances across competitions for Al-Nassr. Bruno Fernandes has recently backed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to be in the Portugal squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
🚨🗣️ Bruno Fernandes:
"Before Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal had never won the EUROs. Now they won it with him. I hope he wins the World Cup and ends his career with the two biggest international trophies in football." pic.twitter.com/RZM9XMY6AJ
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Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.
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