Cristiano Ronaldo could still feature at the 2030 World Cup, according to his former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen. The Portuguese forward, who will be 41 at this summer's tournament, has previously hinted that retirement is near, but Meulensteen believes a dramatic u-turn is possible.
Speaking to Goal, Meulensteen said: 'Health permitting. You look at him, he's 41, but obviously he's biologically probably early thirties. It's a bit of a case where the mind goes, the rest will follow. So there's no doubt about the fact that he looks after himself in the best possible way.'
The 2030 World Cup is set to be co-hosted by Portugal, Spain and Morocco, which Meulensteen suggested could tempt Ronaldo to continue. 'It will definitely play in the back of his mind, especially with the World Cup being co-hosted by Portugal, Spain, Morocco. That's not too far!' he added.
Despite this backing, Ronaldo himself has stated that this summer's tournament will be his last. Earlier this season, he said: 'Definitely, yes. I will be 41 years old and I think [this] will be the moment in the big competition.' He added: 'Let's be honest, when I mean soon, it's probably one or two years I'll still be at the game.'
Ronaldo has amassed 226 caps and 143 goals for Portugal since his debut in 2003. He enters the World Cup in fine form, having scored 28 goals in 34 appearances for Al-Nassr this season. Portugal begin their group stage campaign against DR Congo, followed by matches against Uzbekistan and Colombia.
