Cristiano Ronaldo insists his legacy should not be measured on if he wins the World Cup, with the Portugal forward claiming that football’s greatest players are not judged by whether they have ever lifted FIFA’s biggest trophy. Portugal were knocked out in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals by Morocco, who ended up winning the competition under long-term rival Lionel Messi with Argentina.
Ronaldo — who has eight goals and two assists in 22 World Cup appearances, but none in a knockout round match — still leads all players with 143 career international goals. In the midst of the never-ending back-and-forth about his competition with Messi, the five-time Ballon d’Or bounceback insists one tourney doesn’t a great player make.
“If you ask me is it a dream to play and win the World Cup? No, it’s not,” Ronaldo told Piers Morgan. “To say to be in the history of this club you have to win one Premier League, one Champions League — that’s not fair. Is Messi better than me? I disagree. I don’t want to be humble.”
Ronaldo, who helped Portugal win Euro 2016 on home soil, is set to captain his country at the 2026 World Cup. He also paid homage to his teammate Diogo Jota, describing as “devastating” and “very sad news” the latter’s untimely death.
