After confirming this will be his last World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo insisted that whenever his final match arrives, he will walk away at peace.<\/p>\n
And yes, even if that comes as soon as Monday in Portugal’s round of 16 clash with Spain in Arlington, Texas.<\/p>\n
“I’m going to be perfectly honest, regardless of what happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going to be 1000% leaving with a clear conscience,” the 41-year-old said at Sunday’s pre-match press conference. “I have given all I could to football. It’s my passion to play for so many years. I didn’t do it out of need; I’m doing well out of life. It’s about passion. I play for the national team, and I love to play football.<\/p>\n
“Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I’m not going to exert pressure on myself that I must win.”<\/p>\n
That’s probably best for Ronaldo’s side, who will enter the match as modest underdogs against a Spanish team that is among the oddsmakers’ favorites to win the whole tournament.<\/p>\n
Portugal squeaked into the last 16 in dramatic and disputed fashion with a 2-1 victory over Croatia, in which manager Roberto Martinez pulled Ronaldo in the 81st minute and was rewarded with Goncalo Ramos’ winner in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.<\/p>\n
After that came the controversial decision to rule an apparent miracle equalizer from Croatia offside even deeper in extra time.<\/p>\n
Despite Ronaldo’s lack of involvement in the late drama, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente still says his side must be aware of the one-time Manchester United and Real Madrid star, who remains his country’s most productive scorer at his sixth World Cup.<\/p>\n
“As a footballer, he is someone you have to take care of, he can change a game in the moment,” de la Fuente said. “It’s not that we have to do man-to-man marking, but in certain areas we have to be aware he’s there.<\/p>\n
“Cristiano has quality and class, and in any moment he can be decisive. I would prefer if he didn’t play, of course, but I think he will.”<\/p>\n
Both teams have already had slip-ups, with Portugal playing the Democratic Republic of Congo to a 1-1 draw in their group opener and Spain playing to a nil-nil affair to open their tournament against Cape Verde.<\/p>\n
Those results looked better as the tournament wore on, with the Congolese putting a scare into England in the round of 32 and the Cape Verdeans doing the same to Argentina.<\/p>\n
And while Ronaldo may be in the twilight of his career, his three goals are still a far more productive tournament than that of Spain’s 18-year-old starlet Lamine Yamal. He has only one goal through four appearances while gradually increasing his minutes to work back from a mid-April hamstring injury.<\/p>\n
Portugal haven’t won a match against their Iberian neighbors since a 2010 friendly, though they did defeat Spain on penalties to capture the 2025 UEFA Nations League final following a 2-2 draw.<\/p>\n
“I think the game will be very different, not only in a football sense,” de la Fuente said of Monday’s clash. “Our football idea is similar; we like to have the ball. But it’s the World Cup and a World Cup is a unique opportunity.”<\/p>\n
–Field Level Media<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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