Qatar gives Ronaldo the last chance to express himself

Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of Portugal, five times the best player in the world, will arrive in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup to prove to everyone that he can still make the difference.

There is no doubt that Ronaldo is one of the greatest strikers in history, but his recent missteps with Manchester United and Portugal have raised many questions about whether his impressive career will come to a bitter end.

Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer in international football with 117 goals in 191 official matches.

Between his first international goal against Greece in the European Championship 2004 and his last goal, a double against Switzerland in June 2022, 18 years have passed to become a symbol of continuity.

He scored 818 goals in his career and holds the record as the all-time leading scorer in the European Champions League with 140 goals.

But for a sports icon who used to break records with a number of the biggest clubs in the world such as Real Madrid, Juventus and United, his current level and recent behavior are under the spotlight.

Last year, he scored with Portugal only two goals against Switzerland in the Nations League in ten matches.

With United, he has scored just three goals this season and his problems with coach Eric Ten Hag made headlines in the Premier League, with Ronaldo struggling to get a chance to start and expressing his dissatisfaction with the situation and the lack of minutes of play.

Ronaldo was United's top scorer last season with 24 goals in all competitions after returning from Juventus, and his contract with the English club expires next summer.

In his fifth World Cup participation, Ronaldo will lead a group of wonderful players among the best in the world, but the team did not live up to the expectations in the major tournament.

After reaching the semi-finals in 2006, Portugal were twice eliminated from the round of 16 in 2010 and 2018, and from the group stage in 2014.

Despite the impression that his astonishing career is coming to an end, Ronaldo insists on the contrary.

"There is still a little bit of Cristiano left, I am part of a young team and I want to participate in the World Cup and the next European Championship as well," he said at an event in September.

And it is possible that a solid mentality is the key to imposing his dominance with Portugal in Qatar against all expectations.

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