"For me, he can play even at 45" - Ex-Juventus star provides response when asked if Cristiano Ronaldo can play in 2026 World Cup

Former Juventus star Kaio Jorge has recently talked about the chances of Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo playing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 22-year-old Brazilian currently plays for Brazilian side Cruzeiro, having joined them in the summer of 2024 for a reported €7.20 million.

Kaio Jorge first joined La Vecchia Signora from Santos FC in the summer of 2021. He got the chance to share the dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo for a few weeks before the latter left for Manchester United for a €17 million transfer fee.

In a recent interview with Flashscore, Jorge predicted that Cristiano Ronaldo would play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 22-year-old Brazilian also hoped to lock horns with him in the tournament as part of the Brazilian national team.

"Of course, for me, he can play even at 45. Maybe I can face him in the World Cup then.That's my goal. I want to try, especially because Brazil doesn't have many forwards at the moment. And I play further forward than Gabriel Jesus , who likes to play with his back to the goal," he said.

Before this, Jorge named Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho his two idols as a teenager and talked about his experience of interacting with the former.

"I was lucky. And I learned a lot from him, even though we were together for less than two months. He was very nice and helpful to me. I will never forget what he told me one day at the gym: "It is through preparation that opportunities arise." It is a phrase that I have carried with me ever since," he recalled.

Talking about Cristiano Ronaldo's training schedule, Jorge waxed lyrical about the Portuguese maestro, commenting:

"He would arrive at training before everyone else. I would always show up an hour before the scheduled time, but he would already be there doing exercise bike exercises or warming up."

At present, Cristiano Ronaldo has left European football and is filling stadiums for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. He has already scored 16 goals and created three more in 19 club games across competitions this season.

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When Cristiano Ronaldo opened up about his retirement plans

Al Nassr v Al Raed: Saudi Pro League - Source: Getty

Cristiano Ronaldo is widely considered one of the best players to have ever played the game. The Portuguese superstar is the highest scorer in men's football history with 916 goals and 256 assists in 1255 games across competitions for club and country.

Ronaldo will turn 40 in less than two months, but age has seemingly not affected his penchant for scoring goals. He talked about his plans to retire in a discussion with former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel UR . Cristiano. He said (via @TeamCRonaldo on X):

"I feel until now that I can dribble, shoot, score, and jump high. The day I feel unable to do that, I will take my bag and quit football, but I am far from this thing. I have scored 50 goals last season."

Earlier in the interview, Ronaldo also alluded to his plans to retire at Al-Nassr. However, he explained that he was happy to continue with the Knights of Najd and was in great shape.

“I don't know if it (retirement) will happen soon. Two or three years. I don't know, maybe I will retire with Al-Nassr."

"I am in good shape in Saudi Arabia and in this league. Most likely, I will retire here. I am very happy to play in the Saudi League, and I want to continue.”

Ronaldo's current contract with the Saudi Pro League giants is valid until the summer of 2025.