Cristiano Ronaldo says he considered retiring from Portugal

Striker Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, revealed that he thought about retiring from the Portuguese national team. In an interview, he said he considered not playing for the team anymore after the elimination at the 2022 World Cup. The player became a reserve during the Qatar World Cup and entered the second half in the quarterfinal defeat against Morocco.

He was happy to be called up by coach Roberto Martínez. The coach took over at the beginning of the year, replacing Fernando Santos. Cristiano also stated that he still has a lot to offer the national team and that the difficulties have made him a better man.

“I’m not going to lie, I had to put everything on the balance. I had a lot of time to think, I reflected with my family and we came to the conclusion that, regardless of the difficulty, we cannot throw in the towel on the floor”, he said.

“I’m very happy to be back, the coach is counting on me and I realized that I still have a lot to give to the national team.”

Cristiano Ronaldo also spoke about other setbacks he had recently in his life. During this period, he also had the loss of a son and the termination of his contract with Manchester United.

“Everything that happens in life has a reason for happening. And I am grateful. It is often important to go through some things to really be able to see who is by my side, who wants the best for Cristiano. Because it is in a difficult phase that we see who is by your side. There was a less good phase in my career, first on a personal level and then on a professional level. (…) Therefore, I thank you for going through some difficulties because, when you are at the top of the mountain, it is difficult see what’s underneath,” he declared.

“I can say that I am more and more prepared as a player, but also as a human being. For me, it was a very big learning experience. I had never gone through some of the things I went through in these months and thank God I managed to see many things and I am grateful for that. I’m a better man.”

Portugal is in group J of the Eurocopa qualifiers, along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. On this first FIFA Date, the Portuguese face the last two on Thursday (23) and Sunday (26), respectively.