"More important than anything is Portugal" - Fernando Santos responds to claims that 2022 World Cup could be Cristiano Ronaldo's last major tournament 

The 2022 FIFA World Cup could be Cristiano Ronaldo's last, but Portugal head coach Fernando Santos insists the interest of the country is above any player.

Portugal haven't qualified for the tournament yet, though.They will have to go through a daunting playoffs which could see them come up against Italy, the reigning European champions.

Ronaldo and co. face off against Turkey next week in the semi-finals of Path C. The winner will take on either the Azzurri or North Macedonia in the finals to decide who goes to Qatar.

There's a real chance that the Manchester United ace could miss his flight, denying him a final swansong. However, Santos is only focused on achieving qualification, while highlighting Ronaldo's importance to the side.

At a recent press conference, he said:

"More important than anything is Portugal. It is for us and for the people that we are going to play and that also includes our captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who is a very important player."

Ronaldo has participated in four previous World Cups but hasn't enjoyed much success, with the semi-final appearance in 2006 being the furthest he's reached in the competition.

He was among the top-scorers of the 2018 edition in Russia, starting the campaign with a stunning hat-trick against Spain, but Portugal went out in the Round of 16 to Uruguay.

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Ronaldo called up to Portugal squad for World Cup playoffs

Santos recently announced a 25-man squad for the crucial playoffs with the talismanic skipper obviously included.

He explained that he sought to choose the best players for their upcoming clashes, saying:

"Right now it is not important to talk about player A, B or C, it is with these that I count and it is with these that we will attack the semi-final."

Joao Felix and Rafael Leao in particular have been in great form for Atletico Madrid and AC Milan respectively and will be vital to their fortunes in these playoffs.

However, key players such as Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo and Renato Sanches will miss the Turkey clash as Cancelo and Sanches are suspended whereas Dias is injured.

Santos said they analyzed players in various categories before making the selection.

"The choice was made, the analysis was made, with a higher incidence in the last month. There are always some parameters to analyze. We chose, with our criteria, those who presented themselves in the best conditions to win this semi-final and then be in the final."