CRISTIANO RONALDO’S final chance of securing World Cup success with Portugal has gone up in smoke.

The Portuguese icon has bagged three goals in this year’s competition.

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Ronaldo, 41, scored two against Uzbekistan during a group stage encounter before bagging a crucial penalty to help Portugal beat Croatia in a tense round of 32 tie.

However, the footballing legend’s World Cup career has come to an end after seeing his side lose to Spain in the last-16.

Is Cristiano Ronaldo going to retire after the World Cup 2026?

Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that the World Cup 2026 will be his last as a player – but he hasn’t ruled out continuing his career at club level.

Speaking in a press conference on Sunday, the Portuguese mogul said: “Let this be my last World Cup; it is my last World Cup, and I hope tomorrow won’t be my last match.”

Ronaldo previously refused to confirm whether the tournament would be his last even though he will be 45 years of age when the next competition rolls around in 2030.

He said: “I will finish when I choose. You always ask the same question: is this the last one? We will see. I don’t want to draw attention to this, the most important thing is to play well tomorrow,”

“I’m going to be perfectly honest, regardless of what happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going ⁠to be 1,000 per cent leaving with a clear conscience.

“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.

“Regardless of what happens tomorrow I’m not going to exert pressure on myself that I must win.

“You have to enjoy every match at a huge competition like the World Cup. I think I’m not ‌doing so bad. I’ve scored three goals, others have done better but I think I’m doing not so bad.”

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