"It would be cool if Cristiano Ronaldo wins the World Cup with Portugal before retiring from football." That's Charles Leclerc, Formula 1 driver, speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix — and for once, the cross-sport tribute actually comes with something to back it up.
Ronaldo has been named in Portugal's 27-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, confirming a record sixth tournament appearance. He's 41 by the time the final rolls around on July 19. And no, he's not going to North America to wave at the crowd.
This Portugal squad is built differently
The old version of this conversation was always complicated by the fact that Portugal was essentially Ronaldo plus ten others trying to keep up. That's not the squad Roberto Martínez is taking to North America. Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leão — this is a group with multiple players capable of deciding a game by themselves. Ronaldo can function as a penalty box presence rather than the sole source of attacking inspiration, which, at this stage of his career, is exactly the role that fits.
That structural shift matters when you're pricing Portugal's chances. A team built around one ageing forward is fragile. A team where that forward is the cherry on top is a different proposition entirely.
Leclerc, meanwhile, is watching all of this with the added bitterness of Italy failing to qualify. That context adds weight to the endorsement — he's not casually rooting for a mate, he's a football fan with no dog in the fight beyond genuine admiration.
The one gap in an otherwise complete career
973 senior career goals. 36 major trophies. Euro 2016. The Nations League in 2019. Ronaldo has rewritten what a footballer's career can look like in terms of longevity and volume. The World Cup is the one column in that record that stays empty.
Portugal open their 2026 campaign with that gap still intact. Whether it closes in July depends on a lot more than Ronaldo's will — but the supporting cast, for the first time in a long while, is actually good enough to give him a real shot.
