“A very difficult player to manage” - Emmanuel Petit offers opinion on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future with Portugal ahead of 2026 World Cup

Former France midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes Cristiano Ronaldo is still good enough to continue playing for Portugal despite calls from several pundits that he should quit. However, the Frenchman thinks head coach Roberto Martinez could have a tough time managing the superstar's minutes on the pitch.

Speaking to Poker Firma, Petit stated that Ronaldo didn't look like he was slowing down and so there was no need for him to call time on his career. He added that the complications would come up if the player was benched or substituted because of his superstar status. He said (via GOAL):

"When you have Cristiano Ronaldo in your team, you don't know as a manager if you have to play him in the first 11 or as a substitute, because let's be honest, at Euro 2024 his performances were not that good for Portugal. But I think this guy has no limit. He treats his body very professionally, and he's 40. People may think it's probably over for him now, his international career, but this guy has so much motivation and anger, which I think could have a positive influence if he's in the team.

"When you have Cristiano Ronaldo, what do you do? Are you putting him in the first 11 every single game, or are you using him as a substitute for 30 minutes, 45 minutes? This is my question. Cristiano Ronaldo is such a huge name that it's complicated for any manager to put him on the bench. The Cristiano Ronaldo situation is a really difficult one for Roberto Martinez because he's such a superstar. It's very complicated for him – no manager wants to be the guy that tells Ronaldo you're on the bench or you're not playing anymore. Because of his profile, because of his status, he's a very difficult player to manage."

Cristiano Ronaldo played in both legs of the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals against Denmark in March this year. He scored in the second leg after missing a penalty early in the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo close to retirement but not done yet

Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that he is close to calling it quits in his career. However, he has insisted that it would not be announced in advance, and the exit from the national team will be done silently.

He said (via BBC):

"When the time comes, I'll move on. It won't be a difficult decision to make. If I feel like I'm no longer contributing anything, I'll be the first to leave."

Cristiano Ronaldo said in 2024 that his final club is likely to be Al Nassr, where he is said to be in contract talks as his current deal runs out at the end of the season.