Cristiano Ronaldo Drops Bombshell Confession About His World Cup Future
Cristiano Ronaldo stated that capturing the World Cup is "not a dream" for him and emphasized that one tournament should never determine his footballing legacy.
The Real Madrid icon possesses nearly every major trophy in his extensive collection. Five Ballon d'Or honors, five Champions League crowns, and a European Championship represent just some of the personal and collective achievements Ronaldo has accumulated during his illustrious career.
However, football's most prestigious prize continues to elude the 40-year-old's collection. Ronaldo has never claimed a World Cup victory, and his final opportunity will likely arrive next summer.
The Portuguese icon, however, unexpectedly minimized the importance of World Cup success during Part 2 of his conversation with Piers Morgan.
"If you ask me, 'Cristiano, is it a dream to win the World Cup?' No, it's not a dream," Ronaldo stated.
"To win the World Cup, nothing will change my name in the history of football, I'm not going to lie. One thing that I'm sure of [is] that I will enjoy the moment. The moment is the most important thing that we have. We are not qualified already. Enjoy the moment."
Portugal began their 2026 World Cup qualification journey in September, overcoming Armenia and Hungary. Roberto Martínez's squad then defeated Republic of Ireland and secured a draw with Hungary during the October fixtures. Ronaldo netted five times across these four encounters.
"In my mind, I'm not thinking in that way. Of course, you want to win, yeah. When you compete, you want to win... for me, [winning the World Cup] is not going to change the way I see things," Ronaldo continued.
Ronaldo: 'Not Fair' for the World Cup to Define His Legacy
Ronaldo proceeded to emphasize that World Cup success or failure should not influence how he is remembered. The Al Nassr striker argued it "does not make sense" to connect his legacy to a single tournament, particularly considering his contributions to Portugal's national team spanning 22 years.
"We won three titles for Portugal," he emphasized. "Before, Portugal had never won [anything]."
Ronaldo guided Portugal to Euro 2016 victory, plus UEFA Nations League triumphs in 2019 and 2025. The captain has found the net 143 times in 225 international matches, establishing world records in men's international football.
Morgan challenged Ronaldo's dismissive attitude toward the World Cup, but the striker remained steadfast.
"Portugal have never won a World Cup. 'Yeah, but they can win.' Yes, we're going to fight for that. But [using it to] define [me] at 40 years old, 41? To define what? To define if I'm one of the best in history? To win one competition, six games, seven games?
"You think it's fair? It's not fair," Ronaldo concluded.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo continues pursuing his goal to become the first player ever to score 1,000 career goals, a milestone he might potentially achieve at the 2026 World Cup.