The Portuguese team, led by Cristiano Ronaldoprepares for his duel against Spain in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cupafter an agonizing classification against Croatia, with disallowed goals that raised discussions on social networks.
In the round of 32, CR7 scored his first goal in a World Cup qualifier. The 41-year-old soccer player wants to continue making history with his country and advance to the quarterfinals after the duel against Spain in Dallas, Texas.
“We are here to go far, we have had a nice experience, several important teams have been eliminated“We are prepared to face a very difficult team,” said the Portuguese star.
However, CR7 confessed that La Roja “is favorite” because he has already won a World Cup, although he hopes to win and score.
“Spain is favorite because he already won, but it is a different competition. There is fatigue, it has been hot… I love playing against Spain, I have played about ten games against them and the memory is very good. It is balanced and tomorrow it will be the same. Tomorrow we have to play well, have courage and run,” he said.
He also highlighted that Spain has always had good teams.
THE MOST EMOTIONAL CHRISTIAN IN WHAT COULD BE HIS LAST WORLD GAME! 🇵🇹🥹
“What stays are the people, the ones who love you, the ones that you can somehow give something different to their lives.”
– Cristiano Ronaldo 🇵🇹🫡 pic.twitter.com/oYMNmkM4KP
— Andres ADF 🇬🇹 (@andresNadf) July 5, 2026
“They are different generations, but I always see Spain as a whole. They are very good, They play very well and it is going to be very hardbut I hope we have a good game,” he added.
The forward responded to criticism about his performance in the World Cup. “I think I’m not so bad, I’ve scored three goals. Let’s see if tomorrow we win and I score,” he emphasized.
The international press asked CR7 his opinion on Lamine Yamal, whom he described as “a player with a great future”the newspaper quoted ACE.
Regarding missing a World Cup in his career, the star responded that he doesn’t need anything. “I will no longer be a Christian for winning the World Cup. We have to think about tomorrow, about every day. We have to understand the situation, the reality. “Not getting carried away by criticism is not new to me.”
“I’m not doing so bad. I’ve already scored three goals, there are others who scored more because they are very good.
You don’t want to see me here anymore, it will come. I have given everything I had. I play for passion, I play because I love playing football.”
These words from Cristiano…
— Sudanalytics (@sudanalytics_) July 5, 2026
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Regarding his preparation and age, he noted that train as hard as possible to achieve your goals. Furthermore, he assured that he will leave the national team when he wants, not when others say so.
“I have always given my best and that is not going to change, whether I play or not,” he said.
He also mentioned the bracelet worn by the Portuguese team in tribute to Diego Jota. “We have to reflect beyond what happens on the field. We have all cried together. What remains is extraordinary. This is the World Cup that I will remember the most,” he declared.