"Could be something that is well suited to him" - Pundit names the one team that Cristiano Ronaldo could manage in the future

Pundit Rene Meulensteen has named Portugal as the team that legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo could manage in the future. The Portuguese icon is the only male player to have crossed 900 career goals, and he is working towards hitting the 1,000-goal mark before he retires.

Due to his age, there has been a lot of conversation surrounding his eventual retirement. The 39-year-old Al-Nassr superstar will not continue playing professionally for many more years, which has raised questions about his next step after retirement.

For some, like Rene Meulensteen, a move into coaching would be perfect for Cristiano Ronaldo. However, it wouldn't just be at any club. The former Manchester United first-team coach revealed that Ronaldo could coach Portugal. In an interview with Mega Dice and GOAL, he said:

"He’s a strong personality, that’s for sure, and opinionated. I’m sure that he has been a big figure in teams as he has grown older. I only know Cristiano when he was coming into the seniors as a young, upcoming, growing player that made a massive impact. There were other leaders in the team, but he has grown to become a leader and lead from the front – scoring important goals and all that."

Meulensteen continued:

"Whether he has got that ambition to become a manager, I don’t know. Maybe. Would he like to manage Portugal in the future? I would probably say yes, because he’s so passionate about representing Portugal. I could see him wanting that. Although it is different, international management from club management, you still need to work.

"Sometimes you can be a man-manager in an international side without having to coach, it’s more about the man-management side if you have good staff around you – they can do lots of stuff. In international football coaching is so limited due to the lack of time that you have got. It could be something that is well suited to him."

Cristiano Ronaldo worked under Rene Meulensteen while the duo were at Manchester United. Ronaldo left the English giants in 2009, when he joined Real Madrid, while the Dutch coach left Old Trafford in 2013.

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Why Cristiano Ronaldo did not vote as Portugal captain in the recently held FIFA The Best awards

Cristiano Ronaldo did not vote in FIFA The Best awards 2024, despite being the captain of the Portugal national team, which gives him the right to vote. Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr won The Best Men's Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won The Best Women's Player of the Year.

However, Ronaldo did not vote. Notably, in The Best FIFA Awards' voting records, the legendary striker was not listed as the official captain (as per AS). He continues to wear the armband whenever Portugal plays though.

Bernardo Silva, instead, was given responsibility for the voting process. The Manchester City midfielder voted for his teammates Rodri and Erling Haaland in first and second place, respectively. He also voted for Vinicius, who eventually won the award.