The World Cup has started and Ronaldo was quick to make his presence on the world stage known.
After several gruelling months at Manchester United, after the Portuguese failed to make a transfer away from The Reds back in the summer, the two parties finally came to a ‘mutual agreement’ to terminate the striker's contract early on Wednesday night (23rd November), which was due to expire at the end of the season.
The United star made his return to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021, which became a shock to most fans. Despite ending his homecoming season with 24 goals in all competitions, after a managerial change this summer, the historic no.7 saw his playing time decrease dramatically for his club. Ronaldo only played ten games this season in the Premier League with United, with six of them coming off from the bench, scoring only one goal as a result of this.
However, the superstar seems to have had a change in mood after scoring Portugal’s opener against Ghana from the penalty spot.
Ronaldo made his 5th World Cup competition appearance on Thursday (24th November), joining Lionel Messi, Lothar Matthaus, Antonio Carabajal and Rafael Marquez as the only players to achieve this feat.
The Portuguese ace has beaten his Argentine rival, Messi, in being the first player to score in five different World Cups. His penalty against Ghana on Thursday (24th November) pushed him into the record books again, after scoring in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and now 2022 competitions.
Ronaldo seeks to add one more trophy to his collection before he hangs up the boots. Ronaldo has won every major tournament you can think of, the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and the Euros with Portugal back in 2016, but the trophy of the world is still not his. With this being his last World Cup, CR7 has one last chance at capturing gold.
In his recent controversial interview with Piers Morgan, Cristiano was asked about what he’d do if he was to score a hattrick against Messi’s Argentina in the final of this year’s tournament. The forward answered saying “I’d retire. I’d have to”.
Whether or not we’ll see the most fantasised match in sporting history take place, and whether the unimaginable will take place, will be a question on the minds of every football fan, as we slowly see two of the greatest players of this generation bring their prized careers to an end.
Photo: The Guardian
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