Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo has rejected suggestions he had considered ending his international career in the near future, adding that post-Euros criticism did not concern him.
Portugal host Croatia in their opening Nations League game on Thursday before hosting Scotland in League A Group One on Sunday. Coach Roberto Martinez included Ronaldo in the squad for both games.
“That's all the press says. It never occurred to me that my cycle [with Portugal] “This has come to an end,” Ronaldo said at a news conference on Monday. “Quite the opposite: it gave me even more motivation to remain honest.”
“The motivation is to come to the national team to win the Nations League… We already won it once and we want to do it again. I might say the same thing over and over again, but I don't think in the long term, it's always in the short term.”
Ronaldo captained Portugal to victory in the inaugural Nations League in 2018-19, three years after they became European champions for the first time in France.
“Until the end of my career, I will always have the mentality of being a starter,” Ronaldo added. “What I feel at the moment and what the coach says [Roberto Martinez] The words also prove it, that I am still an asset for the national team, and I will be the first [to admit it] If that is not the case.
“When I am [no longer] An asset that I will be the first to leave behind. But I will leave with a clear conscience, as always, because I know who I am, what I can do, what I do and what I will continue to do.”
The 39-year-old appeared unfazed by the criticism he received for not scoring at Euro 2024. He also missed a penalty in extra time in the round of 16 in Germany against Slovenia, but Portugal eventually won the match in the shoot-out.
“Criticism is good because if it doesn't exist there is no progress. It has always been like this. Is it going to change now? It's not going to change,” Ronaldo said. “That's why I try to continue on my path, to be as professional as possible, to help in the best way possible with my professionalism and not just with goals, assists, discipline and example, because football is much more than playing well or scoring a goal.”
“The people who give their opinion have never been in a locker room, and I often laugh because it's the same as talking about Formula 1.
“How can I give my opinion on Formula 1 if I know nothing about tyres, rims or the weight of the car? It's normal and that's why for me criticism is good and part of it, it's not a problem.”
Information from Reuters was used in this story.
