Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly vowed to continue playing for Portugal until at least after Euro 2024 following his nation's shock exit from the Qatar World Cup.
Fernando Santos' side crashed out of the tournament with a 1-0 defeat by Morocco in the quarter-final on Saturday courtesy of Youssef En-Nesyri's header. After the final whistle, there were emotional scenes when Ronaldo walked down the tunnel in tears as his latest World Cup adventure came to a crushing end.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was visibly distraught following his side's disappointing loss as he stormed into the Portugal dressing room while being consoled by a member of the backroom staff. This came after Ronaldo failed to make an impact during his time on the pitch, having come on for the final 40 minutes.
There have since been rumours circulating around Ronaldo's international future, but it is understood the striker doesn't want to retire and hopes to feature at one last tournament. That's according to Desporto Mundial, which claims Ronaldo 'believes that he can continue to be useful to the national team' and that is the reason why he won't quit playing for Portugal anytime soon.
The 37-year-old, who turns 38 in February, is aware that he is not in his best form but knows the fact he did not have a pre-season at Manchester United has affected him in recent months. Ronaldo also feels he hasn't had a consistent run of starts after he dropped out of the XI at the Red Devils following the 4-0 loss at Brentford in August.
Ronaldo was also named on the bench for Portugal's knockout matches at the World Cup, with Goncalo Ramos preferred in the central striker role. Despite his side's exit from the competition, Santos revealed he had no regrets over benching the former Real Madrid man for the win over Switzerland and defeat by Morocco, with Ronaldo understandably frustrated by being left out of the starting line-up.
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A Bola reported earlier this week that Santos is set to step down from his post as Portugal boss, putting a further twist on Ronaldo's future. Santos has been at the helm for over eight years and guided the Selecao to Euro 2016 glory, which was their first-ever international tournament success.
Santos and Ronaldo formed a strong bond during their time together in the national set-up, although the last couple of weeks may have slightly fractured the relationship. Following the win over Switzerland, when Ronaldo was first dropped, Santos said: "I have a very close relationship with him - I always have. I have known him since he was 19 years old. This relationship only develops."
With Santos expected to depart his role, Ronaldo would then have to impress the next manager or already be in his plans ahead of Euro 2024, if Portugal manage to qualify. The Selecao face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Liechtenstein in their group ahead of the tournament in 18 months' time.
