Cristiano Ronaldo Breaks Silence on Portugal Retirement Rumors

At the age of 39, it would be expected for the idea of retirement to cross the minds of superstars who are getting ready to walk away from the sport.

Well, that is for most star players except Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo recently dismissed any notion of ending his international career with Portugal, emphasizing that recent criticism has only fueled his motivation.

Speaking ahead of Portugal's Nations League matches against Croatia and Scotland, Ronaldo made it clear that he never considered stepping away from the national team despite ongoing rumors.

"That's all from the press. It never crossed my mind that my cycle [with Portugal] had come to an end," Ronaldo stated. "Quite the opposite: it gave me even more motivation to continue, to be honest."

Ronaldo, who captained Portugal to victory in the first-ever Nations League in 2018-19 and their first European Championship in 2016, is eager to add another title to his collection.

"The motivation is to come to the national team to win the Nations League," he said. "We've already won it once and we want to do it again."

The 39-year-old striker, named in Roberto Martinez's squad for the upcoming matches, remains confident in his abilities and his place in the team.

"Until the end of my career, I will always have the mindset that I will be a starter," he said. "When I'm [no longer] an asset I will be the first to leave. But I will go with a clear conscience, as always."

Ronaldo also addressed criticism for his performances in the 2024 European Championship in Germany. Despite providing an assist in the group stage against Turkey, he failed to score a goal as he missed a penalty in extra-time against Slovenia. Portugal ultimately lost in the quarterfinals to France via penalty shootout.

"Criticism is great because if it doesn't exist, there's no progress. It’s always been like this. Is it going to change now? It won't," Ronaldo said, remaining unfazed. "The people who give their opinions have never been in a locker room... for me, criticism is good and part of it, it's no problem at all."