Reasons Portugal Should Limit Ronaldo's Ideas Playing In His Sixth World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo (Instagram @cristiano)

JAKARTA - The news that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to play in the sixth World Cup in 2026 will not surprise anyone.

The Portugal captain is a record-breaking machine. Becoming the first player in football history to feature for his country in six separate tournaments will surely line up with the rest of his career goals.

The Sun reports the player's desire to stay in top shape and injury-free so he can play at the highest level when he is 41 years old.

It's certainly not impossible. 40-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic is today's prime example of what is possible if you stay in shape.

However, there is one big problem that cannot be ignored and that is the element of national team growth.

Ronaldo is an incredible goalscorer, there's no doubt about that, but he's definitely not a team player.

Ronaldo is back on duty for the Portugal national team in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers this week.

The Manchester United forward is set to lead his country against the Republic of Ireland on Thursday and Serbia on November 14.