MADRID (AP) 鈥� Cristiano Ronaldo鈥檚 sixth and likely final will be the first for the Portugal great since he left Europe to play in Saudi Arabia.
The surprise move in late 2022 shocked many in the soccer world and prompted widespread doubts about whether his form would be affected by facing lower-level competition.
But Ronaldo, who turned 41 in February, has dismissed any notion of a drop in performance going into next month鈥檚 showcase event. And, to help make his case, the goals have kept coming, both for Al Nassr and with Portugal.
Portugal coach Roberto Mart铆nez said Ronaldo is as hungry as ever and doesn鈥檛 see any signs that the star forward has slowed down after moving to Saudi Arabia.
鈥淗e keeps performing and he keeps showing his value and he keeps showing that (he) is important for the national team,鈥� Mart铆nez said. 鈥淭o have that hunger when you鈥檝e won everything in the game is quite remarkable. And that鈥檚 without getting away from the fact that to be in the national team you need to be somebody that can help the team now and not with what you鈥檝e done in the past.鈥�
Ronaldo and his longtime rival Lionel Messi are set to reach the milestone of playing in six World Cups. Ronaldo is the all-time leader in appearances (226) and goals (143) for a men’s national team. He is also the only man to have scored in five World Cups.
鈥淓ven though he鈥檚 the captain, even though probably he鈥檚 achieved what no other player in world football has achieved, which is the number of games for the national team, over 225 appearances, just with that number is a uniqueness about what he brings, but I think he has the same demands as any other player in the national team,鈥� Mart铆nez said.
Ronaldo made the move to Saudi Arabia in the middle of the 2022-23 season after his latest stint with Manchester United, rejecting other offers to take up a reported salary of $200 million a year and 鈥済ive a different vision of this country and football.鈥� Ronaldo said at the time his work in Europe was done and he was ready for a 鈥渘ew challenge.鈥�
Criticism immediately began to pour in, with many fans and pundits not liking what appeared to be his choice of taking the big Saudi money instead of continuing his career in elite soccer. Some said he was virtually retiring from competitive soccer.
Ronaldo has constantly praised the Saudi league, though, saying it鈥檚 better than both the French and the Portuguese leagues. He said those who criticize him should go there and try to compete in temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) and keep performing like he has.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 need to speak because they can say whatever they want, but the numbers don鈥檛 lie,鈥� Ronaldo said in an interview with Piers Morgan last year. 鈥淭hey’ve never been here, they’ve never played here … For me it鈥檚 (easier) to score in Spain than score in Saudi (league).鈥�
Ronaldo鈥檚 move away from Europe did not appear to affect his performances on the international stage with Portugal. He has kept playing at a high level since then, scoring 25 goals in his last 30 games with the national team.
Ronaldo went scoreless in five European Championship games in 2024 as Portugal reached the quarterfinals. In 2025, about two and a half years after he started playing in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo helped Portugal win the Nations League title, with one of his eight goals in the competition coming in the final against Spain.
Ronaldo has maintained a top-notch physical condition despite just having turned 41. He was hindered by a sustained in late February but recovered quickly. On May 7, he was scoring his in his 105th league appearances for Al Nassr, which has a chance to win its first league title since 2019.
鈥淎ll the efforts (Cristiano) makes and what he does on the pitch, which he has experienced more than all of us together, which he puts in every day and every game, is unique,鈥� , Ronaldo鈥檚 teammate with both Al Nassr and Portugal, told the Saudi Pro League earlier this year. 鈥淎nd that we see him, at 40 years old, doing what he does, only gives us more motivation.鈥�
Ronaldo scored 14 goals in 16 matches in his debut season in Saudi Arabia in 2022-23. In his first full season, he netted 35 goals in 31 games, setting a new scoring record in the league. Al Nassr won its first Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023 thanks to a pair of goals by Ronaldo in the final.
In the 2024-25 season, Ronaldo scored 25 goals in 30 matches, and so far this season he has found the net 26 times in 29 appearances. He was the league鈥檚 top scorer in both of his first two full seasons, and now is five goals shy of Al Ahli鈥檚 Ivan Toney.
Ronaldo has said this will definitely be his last attempt at , but it remains unclear for how long he will continue playing.
His coach with Portugal knows better not to make any guesses.
鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult for me to say, because obviously I鈥檝e learned very quickly not to predict the future with Cristiano, just because he鈥檚 got this elite brain about being the best that he can be today,鈥� Mart铆nez said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 thinking if you ask him, he鈥檒l tell you the same. He doesn鈥檛 make plans.鈥�
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