Schmeichel Says Ronaldo Faces Painful Reckoning With International Farewell
Cristiano Ronaldo acknowledged after Portugal's elimination from the 2026 World Cup that the tournament would be his last, and former Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, now an analyst with FOX Sports, believes the 41-year-old striker will struggle to accept that his international career has reached its end. Portugal fell to Spain in the round of 16, bringing Ronaldo's sixth and final World Cup campaign to a close without a tournament title.
"I know exactly what he's feeling right now," Schmeichel said following Monday's defeat. "It means everything to play for your country. Look at his body language. It hits you, and it hits you harder than you're ever going to expect. Even at his age, I don't care how many goals you scored or how many trophies you've got, that's not his mentality. His mentality is the next one. Wants to win, wants to keep going, wants to prove that he still is the best." Schmeichel, who retired from international football himself, described the process of coming to terms with the end of a national team career as ongoing. "Those stadiums, you're not going to be able to play in them again. That's a really, really tough thing, and that's something I haven't come to terms with yet," he said. "Having it not taken away from you, but there are four years until another World Cup, so the chances are he's not going to be there, and that will be really, really difficult to take." beach volleyball sports betting site
Ronaldo scored three goals across Portugal's five matches at the 2026 World Cup, including two against Uzbekistan in the group stage. Portugal finished their group phase 1-2-0, advanced through the round of 32 with a win over Croatia, then were eliminated by Spain - spearheaded by Lamine Yamal - in the round of 16. Ronaldo's career tally of 11 World Cup goals and 976 goals across 1,326 career club and international appearances are among the most cited benchmarks of his generation. He has won the Ballon d'Or five times and claimed eight domestic league titles across spells at Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and, since 2023, Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia's top flight, where he has averaged more than 29 goals per season over the past three years and won the league title in the 2025-26 season.
Ronaldo stated after the Spain defeat that his club future remains under consideration. Schmeichel was measured in his assessment of what comes next, suggesting that while retirement from international football is effectively confirmed, Ronaldo's competitive drive and continued physical condition make an early end to his club career unlikely. "He'll want to keep playing, and he doesn't need to, but he does it because he loves it. He loves the game. He's physically still able to play," Schmeichel said.
