Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that Euro 2024 will be his sixth and final European Championship. Ronaldo is 39 and holds various tournament records, including the most appearances and most goals. He was in tears after missing a penalty in extra time but scored in the shootout as Portugal beat Slovenia to move into the quarter-finals and keep Ronaldo’s hopes of a dream swansong alive.
Cristiano Ronaldo admitted that this will be his last European Championship after Portugal scraped past Slovenia to book a quarter-final showdown with France.
The 39-year-old is playing in his record sixth Euros and captained his country to glory in 2016 with a victory over France in the final.
He is also the tournament’s record goal scorer, having found the net 14 times, although he is yet to add to that tally in Germany.
However, after Roberto Martinez’s side came through a penalty shootout to avoid a shock defeat, a fairytale ending remains a possibility.
“It is, without doubt, my last European Championship,” Ronaldo told Portuguese newspaper O Jogo.
“But I’m not emotional about that. I’m moved by all that football means — by the enthusiasm I have for the game, the enthusiasm for seeing my supporters, my family, the affection people have for me.
“It’s not about leaving the world of football. What else is there for me to do or win? It’s not going to come down to one point more or one point less. Making people happy is what motivates me the most.”
A player who has provided his nation with so much joy, Ronaldo looked set to create another lasting memory when Portugal were awarded a penalty in the first half of extra time with the game still goalless.
But his effort was saved brilliantly by Jan Oblak. It was the latest setback in what has been a frustrating tournament on a personal level and left Ronaldo in tears in a moment he would later describe as “rock bottom”.
He is yet to score despite attempting more shots on goal than anyone so far. Like all greats of the game, though, he dusted himself off to slot home his country’s first penalty in the shootout as Portugal progressed thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
“You don’t fail if you don’t try,” Ronaldo added. “Obviously it’s frustrating when you don’t score, but it’s forgotten now. The final result is the most important thing.
“Sometimes it’s hard to score penalties. I’ve lost on penalties twice this year but today I won. Football has to be fair sometimes and today it was.”
