Ronaldo at 2030 World Cup? Proenca says 'huge surprise' would be needed

As Portugal prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup, Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca addressed whether Cristiano Ronaldo will still be leading the line. He tempered expectations, saying "physiologically, a huge surprise would have to happen for him to be in another World Cup." Proenca insisted Ronaldo's link to the national team and the federation will endure, calling him "inextricably linked" to both and adding that "Cristiano Ronaldo will be whatever he wants to be in Portuguese football." He highlighted the player's unique status as a global icon and the way the federation's brand is intertwined with Ronaldo's.

On planning for life after Ronaldo, Proenca said the federation has been preparing its present and its future and warned against dramatizing the transition.

Portugal

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