'He Still Has Role To Play': Portugal PM Luis Montenegro Opens Up On Cristiano Ronaldo's Future After 'A Selecao' Storm Into FIFA World Cup 2026

Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing his sixth FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo, who has accomplished everything in football, will have one last shot at his final frontier, the World Cup. Portugal produced a perfect performance in their final World Cup qualifier game as they steamrolled Armenia 9-1.

Roberto Martinez's men suffered a 2-0 loss against Ireland in their previous World Cup qualifier game and they needed a victory at all cost to storm into the prestigious multi-national tournament.

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Portugal PM Gives His Take On Cristiano Ronaldo's Future

Cristiano Ronaldo will turn 41 by the time Portugal play their first World Cup game. There have been a lot of rumours and speculations around Ronaldo's future. Nobody can question CR7's determination, hard work and his love for the sport, and he wants to maintain his peak fitness levels heading into such a massive event.

Portugal Prime Minister Luis Montenegro recently spoke on Cristiano Ronaldo's future. Montenegro said that Portugal has endless amount of talent and according to him Cristiano still has a role to play in the final phase of the tournament.

'I think he still has a role to play in this final phase, but the coach will decide. We have a group of players who offer the coach a huge range of possibilities, and he has a huge headache trying to choose a starting eleven and manage the players' comings and goings throughout the game. We have an endless amount of talent, and the country will be much more optimistic when the final phase begins,' said Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.

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Ronaldo Likely To Miss Portugal's First World Cup Game

Cristiano Ronaldo was shown the red card during the Portugal vs Ireland game. Ronaldo did miss Portugal's last qualifier game against Ireland and he is likely to miss Portugal's opening match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the biggest icons of football, are gearing up to play their sixth World Cup.