Cristiano Ronaldo has taken to social media to release a statement following Portugal's elimination from the quarter-finals of the European Championship on Friday night.
Neither Portugal nor France could find the back of the net in 120 minutes of football, which led to the Euro 2024 contest heading for penalties, with the Blues winning 5-3 to progress to the semi-finals.
Ronaldo had already confirmed that this European Championship would be his last, as the forward would be 43 years old by the time that Portugal potentially compete at Euro 2028.
However, the 39-year-old has dropped a hint that he is expecting to be a part of the squad that will be aiming to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Queríamos mais. Merecíamos mais. Por nós. Por cada um de vocês. Por Portugal.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) July 6, 2024
Somos gratos por tudo o que vocês nos deram e por tudo que conquistámos até aqui.
Dentro e fora de campo, tenho certeza de que este legado será honrado e continuará a ser construído. Juntos. pic.twitter.com/C34YgfKLmg
Ronaldo drops hint over international future
"We wanted more. We deserved more. For us. For each one of you. For Portugal. We are grateful for everything you have given us and for everything we have achieved so far," Ronaldo posted on social media.
"On and off the field, I am sure that this legacy will be honored and will continue to be built. Together."
Ronaldo's stunning international career has seen him represent Portugal on 212 occasions in all competitions, scoring 130 goals and registering 45 assists in the process.
The forward is the all-time leading goalscorer in European Championship finals, netting 14 times, but he passed up the chance to become the oldest goalscorer in the competition, with his best chance coming from the penalty spot against Slovenia in the round of 16.
After the loss to France, Portugal manager Roberto Martinez said that it was still too early to come to a final decision over Ronaldo's future with the national side.
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Ronaldo could play for Portugal at 2026 World Cup
"No. Everything is too raw. We are still suffering the defeat. There's no individual decisions at this point," Martinez said when questioned on Ronaldo.
The forward's future at international level had been in doubt following the 2022 World Cup, but Martinez immediately made it clear that Ronaldo was a key part of his plans.
The veteran ended Euro 2024 with one assist in five appearances, but he started every game and completed four of his country's fixtures at the competition.
At club level, Ronaldo will again turn out for Al-Nassr next season, and he will be bidding to add to the 58 goals that he has managed in 64 appearances for the Saudi Arabian outfit.
Matt Law
