Cristiano RonaldoAn extraordinary international career could enter its final chapter, with his sister Katia Aveiro revealing that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the Portuguese legend’s “last dance” in national colours.The revelation came as Ronaldo went on to rewrite football history, inspiring Portugal to a 2-1 win over Croatia in the Round of 32 as he became the oldest player ever to win. FIFA World Cup knockout match and the oldest player to start a deaf tournament in the men’s World Cup.Speaking outside the Toronto Stadium before the match against Portugal, Aveiro said the curtain had to fall on one of the greatest matches the world had ever seen.“Based on what I have, they can say good things,” he told Sport TV. “Not today, but I believe this is the farewell. I am talking about the national team. From a reliable source, it is the ‘last dance’, the World Cup.”
Ronaldo enjoys a lot of World Cup history
If this is Ronaldo’s farewell tournament for Portugal, he is making sure he will be remembered for all the right reasons.Against Croatia, the 41-year-old converted the second penalty as Portugal secured a place in the Round of 16. In doing so, Ronaldo became the oldest goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup at the age of 41 years and 147 days.surpassing the previous mark of Lionel Messi.His strike was also his first knockout goal at the World Cup despite being involved in six of the tournament.The Portugal captain also moved up to second on the list of oldest World Cup goalscorers, with only Cameroon great Roger Milla, who scored 42 years and 39 days in 1994, ahead of him.Before it started, Ronaldo had already made history by becoming the oldest player to score a FIFA World Cup knockout match. The incident came a day after Bosnia and Herzegovina captain Edin Dzeko briefly held the record, while Croatia’s Luka Modric started again, making it the first World Cup game with two players over the age of 40 on opposing sides.Ronaldo’s appearance was also his 26th at the World Cup, leaving him just one behind German legend Lothar Matthäus and three behind all-time leading scorer Lionel Messi.
‘It was as if I had already retired’
Ronaldo’s latest heroics against Croatia came as a dramatic turnaround after he was heavily criticized after Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw with DR Congo, where he failed to score.The former striker responded with a brace against Uzbekistan before stepping up to the knockout stage with another match-winning display against Croatia.Reflecting on his return to form after the Uzbekistan game, Ronaldo said: “I knew. God helps people who work hard. It was a difficult, dark week. I felt like I had already given up football, but I worked as I always do because I believe more in hard work than in football. It was difficult, I must admit, but we are back. “He had added: “I’m very happy, but for me the most important thing is the work the team did and the confidence we had. We took a lot of trips during the week, we knew it was going to happen. The team worked very well and we changed a lot.”
Sister defends Portugal’s image under criticism
Ronaldo’s performance sparked controversy at the tournament, with reports suggesting chaos within the Portuguese camp after the opener.Aveiro has previously appeared to be at odds with Ronaldo’s team-mates by liking a website aimed at Bruno Fernandes, sparking controversy within the group.However, he fiercely defended his brother’s return to form.“For intelligent people, those who love football must love Ronaldo,” he said. “They’re the ones who fail. He’s been tearing it up for 20-odd years.”With 232 international caps and 146 goals for Portugal, Ronaldo already stands alone as the world’s leading goalscorer in the men’s game.
