Cristiano Ronaldo has dropped a retirement hint ahead of the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.
Ronaldo will captain Portugal at the showpiece, where Roberto Martinez's side have been placed in Group F alongside Czech Republic, Turkey and Georgia.
It will be a 11th major tournament for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and a sixth appearance at the European Championships.
He helped Portugal win the tournament in 2016, coaching the side from the touchline in the final against France after suffering an injury.
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The 39-year-old is coming off the back of a record-breaking 50-goal season for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
He also brought his all-time Portugal tally to 130 in 207 games after a superb brace against the Republic of Ireland in his hometown of Aveiro on Tuesday night.
But while he's still going strong, Ronaldo acknowledges that he is coming towards the end of his career.
Speaking after the 3-0 win on Tuesday, as per Fabrizio Romano, Ronaldo said: “I don't have many years left in football… so, I have to enjoy it.
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“I'm in love with football. Every game is special, imagine at the Euros with Portugal, you feel proud... it's a dream, like when I was 20."
Ronaldo will become the first player to appear in six Euros tournaments, having made his debut back in 2004.
Portugal were eliminated by Belgium in the round of 16 in the postponed 2021 edition, while they were knocked out by Morocco at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar.
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But the Iberian country have arguably their best ever squad at present and many are tipping them to win the whole tournament.
"I firmly believe that this team will bring a lot of joy to the Portuguese fans, beginning with this EURO," Ronaldo told UEFA on the quality in the ranks.
"However, in my opinion, the best generation of players are always those who win [trophies]. I hope this national team will win because it's an incredibly talented squad.
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"As we all know, though, talent alone is not enough to win. There are many things that go into winning a major tournament like this one.
"We have all the ingredients to win it, but we'll take it one step at a time, game by game, all the while believing that we can win it. What we achieved in 2016 was historic, both in Portuguese football and world football. Now we have our feet firmly on the ground but our mind up in the sky to look up and see that it is possible to win the EURO."
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Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Saudi Pro League, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Euro 2024
Josh Lawless