Portugal Told to Prepare for CR7 Retirement: Portugal’s national team was told to start preparing for Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement to stop a potential decline.
Cristiano Ronaldo is in incredible form and continues to score goals for Portugal and his club Al-Nassr. He has reached 928 goals on his way of hunting down the insane target of 1000 goals which was never achieved by a player in professional football.
The all-time great is currently the top scorer for Portugal in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. With CR7 reaching 40 this year, it is almost certain that the GOAT will hang up his boot after the 2026 World Cup.
Portugal Told to Prepare for CR7 Retirement
Former Portugal and Manchester United manager Carlos Queiroz has asked the national team to be prepared for Ronaldo’s retirement as it might cause a decline in the national team. He was talin to the National Association of Football Coaches (ANTF) forum.
“We still have the illusions that recent years have accustomed us to, but I think we are approaching a very critical moment.
“Sooner or later, we will have to face the decision of the departure of a brilliant player, who left his mark on Portuguese football, Cristiano. The big decisions for the future must be taken now to prevent the national team from going into decline. We have a new generation of players who can guarantee success, but if we go into decline, getting back on track will be more difficult.”
Before Luis Figo hung up his boots, Portugal already had a successor to him in the name of Cristiano Ronaldo. As Ronaldo is nearing his end in pro football, Portugal is yet to find a star to replace him. Queiroz asked the national team to take some measures for this.
“We need to rethink the entire process of training players, identifying clubs, and make more comprehensive decisions about the potential of players to bring to the national team. We need to review the competitive frameworks to make players more dynamic.
“We also need to increase the number of players in Portugal. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t have 300 or 400 thousand effective players. The more there are, the more we can expect the genetics of Figo and Ronaldo’s mothers and fathers to continue there.”
The Seleção das Quina will have their next match against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League Quarterfinals at the José Alvalade Stadium.
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