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The story
Portugal’s squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches was announced on September 18, and 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo was called up once again. Ronaldo made a record sixth World Cup appearance this year, while Messi announced his retirement from the Argentina national team after the tournament — a contrast in career paths that sparked plenty of discussion. On 5ch, some pointed to signs of decline in a player still being picked past age 40, while others joked that “41 is still young,” citing Modrić (born the same year) and LeBron James (a similar age) as counterexamples. The thread saw a wide range of opinions on age and international retirement.
Portugal’s squad for the UEFA Nations League was announced on the 18th, and forward Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), who turns 41, was selected once again.
The 72-year-old Jorge Jesus, who now leads a revamped Portugal side, coached Al-Nassr — Ronaldo’s own club — just last season. Ronaldo, who made a record sixth World Cup appearance, had his future been drawing attention after Messi announced his retirement from the Argentina national team, but he will continue his international career for now.
Portugal will face Wales on September 25, Norway on the 28th, Denmark on October 2, and Norway again on October 5.
Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here
What people said
He'll play through to 2030.
Is he moving better than Kazu, at least? (Kazuyoshi Miura, Japan's famous 58-year-old pro still playing)
Bruno's had some issues surface lately too — might be better for the team to cut him instead.
Wouldn't be surprised if Ronaldo's presence alone is extending this guy's career.
Ronaldo and LeBron are the same age, but he's like 20 years apart from Kazu — why bring up Kazu?
they'll keep calling him up until he steps aside himself.
No, he already did step aside.
Wonder if that inspires Messi to come back too.
can't afford to lose to him.
at the World Cup it was basically like playing 10 vs 11, felt bad for his teammates
Portugal genuinely had a squad that could've won it all at the North/Central America World Cup though
Messi's about 3 years younger.
Portugal should keep calling him up until he retires.
Can't be helped, Croatia's population is small and the talent pool is thin.
Neymar's performance dropped off after a bad injury in Saudi Arabia and never came back.
even though he can't keep up anymore and gets frozen out.
There's no way the Portuguese would freeze out their own national hero.
If he's still got the legs for it, I'd love to see a legend like that play.
Kazu — Kazuyoshi Miura.
――――――――― Pauleta ―――――――――――
―――――――― (Nuno Gomes) ―――――――――
――― Ronaldo ―― Deco ―― Figo ―――――
―― (Simão) (Rui Costa) ―――――――――――
―――― Costinha Maniche ――――――――
―――― (Petit) ――(Tiago Mendes) ――――――
Nuno Valente ――――――――――――― Miguel ―――
(Rui Jorge) ――――――――――――――(Paulo Ferreira)
――――― Carvalho Andrade ―――――――
―――――― (Couto) ――――――――――――――
――――――――― Ricardo ――――――――――――
――――――――― (Quim) ―――――――――――――
Ronaldo wore squad number 17.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Figo
who's the third?
What even is 'the Big Three of Portugal'…
Magellan
Vasco da Gama
Background and Talking Points
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the all-time records for both goals and caps in men’s full internationals, and with this call-up he’ll make his sixth World Cup appearance — also an all-time record. Messi, meanwhile, announced his retirement from the Argentina national team after this year’s tournament, making for a striking contrast between the two stars who defined their era. Within the thread, opinions split between those questioning the quality of his play since moving to Al-Nassr and skepticism about a player in his 40s continuing to be selected at all. At the same time, there was strong pushback defending him — citing Modrić, born the same year, and LeBron James, of a similar age, as evidence he “can still do it” — turning it into a debate that goes beyond simple age arguments. It’s worth noting that national team selection ultimately comes down to the manager’s discretion and doesn’t necessarily track directly with an objective assessment of a player’s ability.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geisports Sokuhou+) thread “[Soccer] 41-Year-Old Ronaldo Selected for Portugal — The Legend Continues as Messi Announces Post-World Cup International Retirement.”
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