Euro 2024: Ronaldo’s future hangs in balance after Portugal’s exit

• Portugal lost to France on penalties in the Euro 2024 quarter-final.
• Portugal coach is undecided on Ronaldo’s international retirement.
• Ronaldo didn’t score any goals in Euro 2024.

In the Euro 2024 quarter-final, France emerged victorious over Portugal following a tense penalty shootout in Hamburg, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo’s international future undecided.

At 39, Ronaldo is approaching the twilight of his illustrious career. He had previously announced that Euro 2024 would mark his final European championship appearance for Portugal, yet it remains unclear if this was indeed his last outing.

Portugal’s coach, Roberto Martinez, addressed questions about Ronaldo’s retirement from international play after the defeat, stating it is “too soon” to make such determinations.

“It’s too soon and raw after the match to talk about that and there have been no individual decisions made,” Martinez remarked during a press conference when probed about whether Ronaldo had donned the Portugal jersey for the last time.

Remarkably, Ronaldo concluded his Euro 2024 run without netting any goals, a first in his 20 years of international competition.

Now 39, the question looms whether Ronaldo, once a star for Real Madrid and Manchester United, will play for Portugal in the 2026 World Cup set to take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Following Portugal’s victory over Slovenia in the round of 16, Ronaldo affirmed that Euro 2024 would be his European swansong.

“Without a doubt, it’s the last Euro [for me], of course it is,” Ronaldo confided to RTP of Portugal TV.

“But I’m not emotional about that. I’m moved by everything that football entails, by the enthusiasm I have for the game, the enthusiasm I see in the fans, having my family here, people’s passion [… it’s not about leaving the world of football. What else is there for me to do or win?”

Notably, Ronaldo was part of the Portugal squad that secured their first major trophy by winning Euro 2016, with Eder’s extra-time goal sealing victory over France.

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