Published on 5/30/2026
Portuguese national team coach Roberto Martinez confirmed that there is nothing preventing national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo from appearing in the World Cup in 2030, even though he will be forty-five years old then.
Martinez said in statements to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser: “No one should doubt that. Cristiano has deserved this right,” indicating the possibility of continuing his international career until the edition that will be jointly hosted by Portugal, Spain and Morocco.
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This summer, Ronaldo will participate in his sixth World Cup, which is a record, after he established his position as the player who played the most international matches in the history of men’s football, with 226 matches, in addition to being the all-time top scorer for national teams with 143 goals. He also remains the only player to have scored goals in five different editions of the World Cup.
Martinez praised the exceptional mentality of the Portuguese star, stressing that the Portuguese Federation hopes to be a role model for the rising generations. He said: “Cristiano is not only defined by what he eats or by the way he trains, but by the hunger that he carries inside him. No matter how many titles he achieves, he wakes up the next day with the same desire to develop and improve.”
He added: “I worked with many players who won the Champions League or the Ballon d’Or, but then lost their motivation. As for Ronaldo, he has a completely different mentality, which explains his continuation at the highest levels.”
Ronaldo, 41 years old, will enter the 2026 World Cup competitions in high spirits after scoring 28 goals and leading his team to win the Saudi Professional League title, which is the first league title he has won since moving to Saudi Arabia in 2022.
The Portuguese national team will begin its World Cup campaign by facing the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17, before meeting Uzbekistan on June 23, then Colombia at the end of the group matches.
