WEBDESK: Cristiano Ronaldo has announced that he will not participate in the upcoming 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. The football icon, currently playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, made the statement during an interview where he emphasized his current focus on international football and personal goals.
Speculation over the 40-year-old’s future intensified last month when FIFA President Gianni Infantino said discussions were underway about Ronaldo playing in the Club World Cup, despite Al-Nassr failing to qualify.
At 40 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the most talked-about players in the world. Despite his age, he continues to perform at a high level for both club and country. However, when asked about the newly expanded 32-team Club World Cup set to take place next summer, Ronaldo clearly said he has no intention of playing in it.
Al-Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo’s current club, did not qualify for the tournament. According to reports, some qualified clubs expressed interest in signing him on a short-term basis just for the event. Even FIFA President Gianni Infantino reportedly encouraged participation from global football stars to boost the tournament’s profile. But Cristiano Ronaldo turned down all such offers.
Cristiano Ronaldo himself added to the uncertainty after Al-Nassr’s season-ending match at Al-Fateh, posting on social media: “This chapter is over. The story? Still being written.”
Asked about the possibility of signing for another club in the coming days in order to play at the Club World Cup later this month, Ronaldo told reporters: “It’s irrelevant, at the moment it doesn’t make sense to talk about things other than the national team.
His decision also puts an end to rumors that he might join another club briefly just to play in the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo’s current contract with Al-Nassr runs through June 2025.
Cristiano Ronaldo in the Nations League
Ronaldo recently helped Portugal secure a spot in the Nations League final after scoring the winning goal in a 2–1 win against Germany on Wednesday.
Many have labelled Sunday’s final as a face-off between Ronaldo and 17-year-old Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal but the Portuguese forward said he did not see it as such.
“It’s always been like that, whenever I’ve played football, whenever I’ve played a big game it’s always been Cristiano against this one, against that one,” he said.
“It’s been 20-something years and it’s still the same, it doesn’t keep me up at night anymore, it’s a normal thing. They’re completely different generations, a generation that’s starting out, another that’s finishing, which is my case.
“In reality it’s not like that, it’s a team against a team. It will always be like that… What I want most is for Portugal to be at a good level, confident that things can go well, that we can play a great game and win against a very good team, possibly the best in the world.”
