Cristiano Ronaldo speaks out over Portugal retirement plans

Ronaldo denies Portugal retirement in the works

Manchester United and Portugal sensation Cristiano Ronaldo opened the lid regarding future retirement plans from international duty.

When speaking with SkySports, the Red Devils ace denied that his time in service of his country was drawing to an end despite turning 37-years-old before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

According to Ronaldo, it is not yet his time;

“Why? I think it’s not my time yet. It’s not what people want, it’s what I want.

It’s when I feel that I’m not capable to run, to dribble, to shoot, if the power is gone … but I still have that stuff so I want to continue because I’m still motivated. It’s the main word – [motivated] to do my stuff, to make people happy and my family happy and the fans and myself. I want to put the level even higher.

You speak about Portugal but in the Champions League I have the most goals, the most wins, assists … everything. But I want to carry on. I like to play football. I feel good to make people happy.”

Portuguese positive at Manchester United

Recent quotes from Manchester United icon Paul Ince paint a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo that is hardly positive, with the former Red Devils midfielder claiming that the Portuguese great is “acting like he is running the club.”

Whether that is true or not remains to be seen, while others feel that United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær should build the current Old Trafford outfit around Ronaldo while he remains at the club.

But Ronaldo, now the proud owner of over 300-appearances for the English giants, still backs himself and the club to be successful during his second stint in that part of the country;

“We are in a moment in my opinion that Manchester (United) do a few changes; they buy me, they buy (Raphael) Varane and (Jadon) Sancho.

The adaptation will take time, even the system of the game that we play, but I think step by step we have to put it in our mind that everything is possible.

I don’t speak only about my individual stuff, I put the collective in first place. To win things as a collective, it’s more easy to win individual stuff, so I believe that and I still think it’s possible.”

As United go into a massive clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford tomorrow, Cristiano Ronaldo not only has the chance to continue to build his legacy at the club – and in Europe as a whole – but also push United right back up the table and just one point behind their biggest rivals.

Note: All quotes courtesy of Goal.