Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to play Portugal’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup after FIFA handed the 40-year-old a suspended sentence for his violent conduct against the Republic of Ireland.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was facing a three-match ban for catching Dara O’Shea with his trailing elbow in Portugal’s 2–0 defeat at Aviva Stadium. The red card was the first of Ronaldo’s 23-year international career.
Except FIFA’s disciplinary committee commuted the sentence to a one game ban, with two more matches suspended under a year’s probation. Since Ronaldo already sat out of Portugal's 9–1 victory over Armenia, he has effectively served his ban.
The Real Madrid icon, therefore, is free to lead Portugal in the United States, Canada and Mexico from the start of the World Cup. There was growing discourse over Ronaldo’s place in the Portugal national team, given his age, but manager Roberto Martínez emphatically backed his captain, who he believes has the “biggest hunger” of any player in the world.
Martínez Shuts Down Talk of Moving on From Ronaldo
“Obviously, everybody has an opinion,” Martínez said in an interview on Sky Sports. “What I’ve been seeing is that, when we win and Cristiano scores the goal or two goals, the question in the press is, ‘What are you going to do when Cristiano is not there? The team depends on Cristiano too much.’ When Cristiano doesn’t score, it’s, ‘How are you going to win when you’ve got a 40-year-old in the team?’
“For us, it’s easier than that. He plays because he’s scored 25 goals in the last 30 games. His record is incredible. When he walks into the training camp, he’s an example of professionalism, looking after himself and using every day to become better. Then it’s that pride of playing for the national team.”
Ronaldo recently revealed his biological age is 28 years old as he continues his pursuit of 1,000 career goals. The Al Nassr captain has found the back of the net seven times in his last seven appearances for Portugal, helping the team win the UEFA Nations League and qualify for the World Cup.
Martínez: Ronaldo Has Nothing Left to ‘Prove’
Martínez continued heaping praise on Ronaldo, who has made 226 appearances for the Portugal national team, scoring 143 goals along the way.
“He’s got the biggest hunger that I’ve seen in a player,” the manager said. “Normally a player wins a trophy and there is not the same hunger the next day in their way of working. He has that. I don’t know if it’s natural or something he works hard at, but he’s got that hungriness not to let himself down.
“I don’t think he needs to show anything. I think he’s got to a point now that he plays for himself and the people he loves because he doesn’t need to prove anybody wrong. What he’s achieved already is enough to leave a legacy.”
Still, Ronaldo will hope to cap off his final World Cup by lifting the one trophy he has never claimed in his illustrious 23-year career.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Portugal Learn Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup Suspension Verdict .
