Srinagar: Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has brushed aside the talk surroundings him playing in upcoming Club World Cup, saying he hasn’t considered the offers that have come up his way.
The Club World Cup will take place in the United States from June 15, where 32 teams will compete to lift the precious trophy.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation in the Club World Cup were sparked by FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s statement in which he said that discussions were underway about the 40-year-old playing in the tournament, despite current club Al-Nassr failing to qualify.
Al-Nassr’s sporting director Fernando Hierro said last month that the club were negotiating with Ronaldo aiming for a contract extension but faced competition from several clubs eager to sign the five-times Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo himself also pointed out his exit from Al-Nassr in a social media post following his last match of the season for the club, the Portuguese posted a picture of himself in the Al Nassr jersey on X (formerly Twitter) with a cryptic message.
“This chapter is over,”.
“The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.”
Asked about the possibility of joining another club in the coming days to be eligible for the Club World Cup later this month, Ronaldo replied.
“It’s irrelevant, at the moment it doesn’t make sense to talk about things other than the national team. There has been plenty of contact (from clubs), I see things that make sense, others that don’t,” Ronaldo said.
“You can’t go to all of them (clubs), you have to think short, medium and long term. It’s something that’s practically decided on my part, which is not to go to the Club World Cup, but I’ve had plenty of invitations,” he added.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a winner on Wednesday to lead Portugal past Germany 2-1 sealing a UEFA Nations League final spot where they will face Spain.
Fans are labelling Sunday’s final as a face-off between Ronaldo and 17-year-old Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal but the Portuguese forward said he did not see it as such.
“It’s always been like that, whenever I’ve played football, whenever I’ve played a big game it’s always been Cristiano against this one, against that one,” Ronaldo said.
“It’s been 20-something years and it’s still the same, it doesn’t keep me up at night anymore, it’s a normal thing. They’re completely different generations, a generation that’s starting out, another that’s finishing, which is my case.
“In reality it’s not like that, it’s a team against a team. It will always be like that… What I want most is for Portugal to be at a good level, confident that things can go well, that we can play a great game and win against a very good team, possibly the best in the world.”