Ronaldo fumes after being asked about his future

Robin Bairner

• 28 Mar 2022 10:48 CDT
• 3 min read

Manchester United attacker Cristiano Ronaldo reacted in a frustrated manner when asked about his plans for the future.

Away on international duty, Ronaldo will attempt to lead Portugal past North Macedonia to the World Cup finals on Tuesday.

It is an encounter that the Euro 2016 champions are expected to win, yet there is a degree of pressure on them given their strong favouritism to win the tie.

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It has also been suggested that the pressure is doubled on Ronaldo given that at 37, this could be the last World Cup he has the opportunity to play in.

That is a thought, however, that the player does not appreciate. When it was put to him during a pre-match press conference, he reacted in an exasperated manner.

“I’ve already heard the same question many times,” he said. “The only one who’ll decide my future is me – nobody else! If I feel like playing longer, I will. If not, I won’t play. I’m the boss. Period.”

Ronaldo under pressure

Although Ronaldo was not directly addressing his club future, it is telling that he is under pressure due to his struggle to find form at Old Trafford.

A seasoned scorer of goals, Ronaldo has only scored in two fixtures during 2022, including a hat-trick against Tottenham. Included in this sequence was his longest goalless run in over a decade. This has thrown into question his long-term ability to play at the top of the game for many more years, particularly as his style does not seem to suit the modern style of game that head coach Ralf Rangnick wishes to implement.

He also has history of lashing out at the media when on international duty, memorably throwing a reporter’s microphone into a lake prior to a Euro 2016 clash with Hungary, at which point the national team were being questioned. A day later, he scored a hat-trick to send his side through the group stages.

Ronaldo has typically come up with a positive on-field response when asked difficult questions, which bodes well for Portugal.