Diogo Dalot claims that "every player" hopes Cristiano Ronaldo's "beautiful story" concludes with World Cup glory.
Diogo Dalot says the entire Portugal squad hopes to secure a World Cup title for Cristiano Ronaldo before he retires.
WHAT HAPPENED?
At 40 years old, the 2026 World Cup will be the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s last opportunity to claim football’s most prestigious trophy before ending his career, though the Al-Nassr forward has yet to announce his retirement plans.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Ronaldo played a key role in Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph and their Nations League victory in 2019, but teammate Dalot hopes to secure more trophies while sharing the field with the legendary forward.
WHAT DALOT SAID
“Obviously it is difficult to find more adjectives to describe Cristiano. For me, and I believe for others too, it is a huge privilege to continue having him in the national team, to share moments and to soak up the experience of his career and obviously there is this energy of wanting to see him win big competitions for Portugal,” he told reporters. “The love he has shown throughout his career cannot be questioned and for us, using that as an example, it would be a beautiful story to see him win as many competitions as possible for Portugal. I believe that every player wants that.”
WHAT NEXT FOR PORTUGAL?
Ronaldo and Dalot are set to feature for Portugal as they take on Denmark in the first leg of their Nations League quarter-final on Thursday. The victor of the matchup will join Hungary, Ireland, and Armenia in their World Cup qualifying group.
