Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly has no intention of retiring from international football as he is expected to continue playing for Portugal until at least Euro 2024.
Ronaldo’s side were eliminated from the World Cup on Saturday at the quarter-final stage after losing 1-0 to Morocco, and the 37-year-old was in floods of tears as he went down the tunnel after the final whistle.
He wants to continue playing for his country and already has his sights set on the next international tournament – Euro 2024 in Germany – as reported by CM Journal.
Ronaldo lost his place in Portugal starting XI for his side’s last two games in Qatar, but he believes he can captain the team at the next Euros when he will be 39.
The 37-year-old was dropped by Portugal boss Fernando Santos at the World Cup after he reacted angrily to being substituted in their group game against South Korea.
Santos left him out of their last-16 clash against Switzerland, which they won 6-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Ronaldo replacement Goncalo Ramos, and then again versus Morocco in the World Cup.
After the match against Morocco, Santos told reporters that he had “no regrets” about benching Ronaldo for the match: “No regrets. I think this was a team which played very well against Switzerland. Cristiano’s a great player. He came on when we thought that was necessary.”