Cristiano Ronaldo declared winning the World Cup is “not a dream” of his and a single competition in no way should define his legacy on the pitch.
The Real Madrid legend has just about every piece of silverware in his overflowing trophy cabinet. Five Ballon d’Or awards, five Champions League titles and a European Championship are just a few of the individual and team accolades Ronaldo has collected throughout his career.
Yet the greatest trophy in football remains absent from the 40-year-old’s résumé. Ronaldo has never won a World Cup, and his last chance is likely coming next summer.
The Portuguese superstar, though, surprisingly downplayed the significance of winning a World Cup in Part 2 of his interview with Piers Morgan.
“If you ask me, ‘Cristiano, is it a dream to win the World Cup?’ No, it’s not a dream,” Ronaldo said.
“To win the World Cup, nothing will change my name in the history of football, I’m not going to lie. One thing that I’m sure of [is] that I will enjoy the moment. The moment is the most important thing that we have. We are not qualified already. Enjoy the moment.”
Portugal kicked off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in September, defeating Armenia and Hungary. Roberto Martínez’s men then beat Republic of Ireland and drew with Hungary during the October window. Ronaldo scored five goals across the four matches.
“In my mind, I’m not thinking in that way. Of course, you want to win, yeah. When you compete, you want to win... for me, [winning the World Cup] is not going to change the way I see things,” Ronaldo added.
Ronaldo: ‘Not Fair’ for the World Cup to Define His Legacy
Ronaldo went on the stress that winning or not winning a World Cup should have no impact on how he is remembered. The Al Nassr forward claimed it “does not make sense” to tie his legacy to one trophy, especially given his contributions to the Portugal national team over 22 years.
“We won three titles for Portugal,” he stressed. “Before, Portugal had never won [anything].”
Ronaldo helped Portugal win Euro 2016, and the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025. The captain has scored 143 goals in 225 appearances for his country, both world records in men’s internationals.
Morgan pushed back against Ronaldo’s dismissive tone over the World Cup, but the latter held firm.
“Portugal have never won a World Cup. ‘Yeah, but they can win.’ Yes, we’re going to fight for that. But [using it to] define [me] at 40 years old, 41? To define what? To define if I’m one of the best in history? To win one competition, six games, seven games?
“You think it’s fair? It’s not fair,” Ronaldo finished.
In the meantime, Ronaldo is continuing his quest to become the first player in history to score 1,000 career goals, a feat he could potentially reach at the 2026 World Cup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Not Going to Lie’—Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Shock World Cup Admission.
