For more than two decades, Cristiano Ronaldo has collected almost everything the game can offer, league titles across countries, Champions Leagues, Ballon d’Ors, international records, and a career that has stretched into a 25th professional season while pushing towards 1,000 goals. He has been central to title-winning sides at club level and led Portugal national football team to the European Championship in 2016. He has also become one of the wealthiest athletes in the sport, the first footballer to reach billionaire status. And yet, one title has remained out of reach. Since his World Cup debut in 2006 in Germany ,where Portugal reached the semi-finals, still their joint-best finish, the tournament has consistently slipped away. In the years since, his great rival Lionel Messi completed that part of the story by lifting the trophy in 2022, adding a final layer to his own legacy.That absence sits over Ronaldo’s international career as he approaches what is expected to be his final World Cup in 2026, a tournament that now carries the weight of everything that has come before it. Against that backdrop, his Portugal teammate and former Manchester United teammate, and now captain, Bruno Fernandes has been clear about where he stands, speaking openly about doing everything he can to help Ronaldo get that one title, “for everything Cristiano gave to football and the world.”
A clear mission heading into 2026
Speaking to Wayne Rooney on the BBC’sThe Wayne Rooney Show, Fernandes set out exactly what he wants from the summer. “I will try my best to make my country proud. Wrapping up this last World Cup with Cristiano (Ronaldo), winning it would be something amazing,” he said, before making clear that the motivation goes beyond the trophy itself. “I really hope we can make it happen, not just for Portugal, but for everything Cristiano gave to football and the world.” It also shows a level of honesty in his approach, with Fernandes putting Ronaldo’s final chance ahead of his own ambitions and focusing on helping him finally win the one honour that has eluded him across five World Cup appearances.
Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Bruno Fernandes (AFP Photo)
Wayne Rooney, who knows Ronaldo well from their time together at Manchester United, also wished him well, saying: “I would love to see you and Cristiano win the World Cup. Go and enjoy it. Have fun. And I hope you do well.”
Ronaldo’s final chapter with Portugal
At 41, Ronaldo remains central to Portugal national football team heading into what is widely expected to be his final major international tournament. His World Cup history is well established: appearances from 2006 to 2022, 22 matches played, eight goals scored, and a best finish of fourth place in Germany 2006. Since then, Portugal have not progressed beyond the quarter-finals, including a group-stage exit in 2014. What has not changed is his output. Ronaldo is international football’s all-time leading scorer with 143 goals and is closing in on 1,000 career goals, having reached 969 after scoring for Al-Nassr last weekend. He is also about to complete his 25th season as a professional, still starting, still leading.Portugal manager Roberto Martínez has previously spoken to The Guardian about Ronaldo’s longevity and what has allowed him to remain at the top level for so long. “I always thought it was the body that retires a player, but it’s the head. Cristiano’s head hasn’t taken that decision at 40, 41. An elite player is not the talent, it’s the mentality, the resilience.”
Fernandes’ perspective: playing alongside the standard
Fernandes has worked alongside Ronaldo both internationally and during their time at Manchester United, and that proximity shapes how he speaks about him. Despite being almost a decade younger, he has had the opportunity to share dressing rooms and training sessions with his compatriot and former teammate, and he has often spoken with clear admiration for Ronaldo’s standards.Asked who the greatest footballer in history is, Fernandes answered without hesitation: “The best footballer? I played with him… trained with him… saw his mentality up close. It’s Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, left, celebrates with Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes (Reuters Photo)
That perspective carries into how he views the World Cup, with Fernandes less focused on managing Ronaldo’s role or holding back his own ambition, and more on being a productive presence around him, helping pull things together and give Ronaldo a real chance of finishing his World Cup story the way he would want it to end.
Why this World Cup matters just as much to Fernandes
There is also a personal edge to it. Fernandes will be approaching 36 by the time the 2030 World Cup arrives, which makes this edition his most realistic chance to compete at the highest level internationally. His own World Cup trajectory has already shifted. In Russia 2018, he played a limited role, starting just once and not featuring in the Round of 16 exit to Uruguay. By Qatar 2022, he had become a central figure, starting four of Portugal’s five matches, including the quarter-final defeat to Morocco. That progression places him at the centre of the current side under Martinez, with responsibility not just to create, but to lead alongside Ronaldo.
Club form and leadership at Manchester United
Away from the international stage, Fernandes remains the focal point at Manchester United. He has registered 18 assists in the current Premier League campaign, including setting up Matheus Cunha in a 1-0 win over Chelsea, leaving him three short of the league record with five matches remaining. Despite links to a move to the Saudi Pro League, the club have made it clear he will not be sold, viewing him as central to their project. Under the current setup, he has established himself as the dressing-room leader, carrying both creative responsibility and authority.
The one title that defines the conversation
Portugal have never won a World Cup. Their closest finishes came in 1966 and 2006, both ending in the semi-finals. That history frames the challenge ahead as much as anything else. For Fernandes, the objective is direct. The tournament offers one last attempt to close Ronaldo’s international career with the only major honour missing from it, and to match, in his own words, “everything Cristiano gave to football and the world.
