40 Carats -- CR 7 (Cristiano Ronaldo) set for World Cup history
This is turning out to be a bit like 40 Carats, where athletes are still worth their weight in gold. After Luka Modric from Croatia, the next man who is on the cusp of rich history is CR 7 – Cristiano Ronaldo – who will be playing a sixth FIFA World Cup for Portugal next year. Portugal had made the cut on Sunday, when they routed Armenia 9-1 in the qualifiers. Ronaldo misses that match due to suspension, but the very fact he will be appearing again for Portugal in 2026 is being romanticised by football lovers.
It seems like yesterday the 2022 FIFA World Cup was held in Qatar. The debate then was on who is the bigger star – Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. Messi went on to win the World Cup and is now rated very high. But then, Ronaldo has not receded into the background. If anything, his decision to pay club football in Saudi Arabia for Al Nassr is discussed for several reasons. For someone who quit club football in Europe and moved to Saudia, it was seen as a decision based purely on riches. The kind of earnings and life he leads in Saudi Arabia is a dream for many. Yet, at the same time, CR 7 has maintained highest fitness standards and stays committed to his national side.
In 2026, by the time the World Cup is co-hosted by the USA and Mexico, Ronaldo will be 41. There will be younger and fitter players as well who will grab eyeballs from other nations. But for Portugal, Ronaldo is a talismanic player. The red card awarded to him means he could miss early matches in the World Cup. However, the Portugal football association is going to appeal that, in the fond hope he can start for the national side in the FIFA World Cup.
A record sixth appearance for Ronaldo in the blue riband event will be defining. To do that in the modern era is even more big since players deal with so many injury issues. Indeed, CR 7 is the epitome of fitness and has sculpted his body beautifully. To have played his first World Cup in 2006, when he was with Manchester United, Ronaldo was raw. He went from strength to strength, though by the time he had reached the last World Cup in 2022, he was not necessarily on the starting list.
Whatever happens by the time the 2026 World Cup starts, one thing is sure, the legacy value of Ronaldo will be 40 Carats. He will be fit, though it can be debated whether he has the same capacity to perform at the World Cup. For Portugal, he is like a lucky charm, they will not let him go, even though younger players are thrown up.
Is the value of Ronaldo sheer romance or does he still have the skills to challenge the opposition in 2026 will be interesting to see. As someone who dominated each club he played in, be it Real Madrid or Juventus, what happened to him before the last World Cup in 2022 was a bit weird. He had given an explosive interview to Piers Morgan, where he blurted a lot of things. Following that, he parted ways, amicably, with Manchester United. To those who think he had run out of clubs in Europe, the move to Saudi Arabia was big. After all, they will host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Some legacies are just too big. CR 7 figures at the top of it.
