From clapping to smiling to singing, Cristiano Ronaldo took a number of moments to have a good time together with his Portugal teammates after qualifying for what can be his record-tying fifth World Cup.
The highest scorer in males’s worldwide soccer has by no means gained the game’s greatest prize, however he’ll get one other likelihood this 12 months in Qatar.
“The years go by, but the objectives always remain the same,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.
Four different gamers have made it to 5 World Cups — Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from 1998-2014, Mexico defender Rafael Márquez from 2002-18, Germany midfielder Lothar Matthaeus from 1982-98 and Mexico goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal from 1950-66. Buffon was within the Italy squad in 1998 however didn’t play within the match.
Others with an opportunity to hitch Ronaldo by taking part in in Qatar are Argentine nice Lionel Messi, Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and México midfielder Andrés Guardado, who even have been to 4 World Cups. Spain defender Sergio Ramos additionally took half in 4 World Cups, however he hasn’t been known as up by coach Luis Enrique just lately.
Ronaldo will likely be taking part in in his tenth straight main match in a streak that began on the 2004 European Championship and consists of 4 World Cups and 4 different European tournaments, a contest he helped Portugal win in 2016.
Ronaldo is the one participant to have scored no less than as soon as in 9 prime tournaments in a row, and can be capable of prolong lots of his worldwide data in Qatar, together with his 115-goal mark with the nationwide group. He is also the lively Portugal participant with essentially the most World Cup objectives with seven, two shy of Eusebio’s 9.
In 17 World Cup video games, Ronaldo has six wins, six losses and 5 attracts. He has two assists in these matches, and that’s how he helped his group win on Tuesday, organising the opening purpose by Bruno Fernandes within the first half on the Estádio do Dragão in Porto. Fernandes added the second after halftime.
“Goal accomplished,” Ronaldo stated after the match. “We made it to the World Cup in Qatar. We are where we deserve to be.”
It would be the sixth straight World Cup look for Portugal, whose greatest marketing campaign was a third-place end in 1966 and a fourth-place run in 2006 in Ronaldo’s first try. Portugal was eradicated within the spherical of 16 in 2010 and 2018, and didn’t make it previous the group stage in 2014.
Ronaldo’s Instagram publish on Tuesday got here with a photograph of himself and his long-time buddy Pepe, the 39-year-old veteran defender who may also seemingly be taking part in in his ultimate World Cup.
Ronaldo can be 41 by the point the 2026 World Cup comes round, and he had stated earlier than Tuesday’s match he was starting to be bothered by the repeated questions on how lengthy he deliberate to maintain taking part in.
Those questions will seemingly be gone for now, as a result of everybody is aware of there will likely be no less than yet another World Cup for Ronaldo.
