Cristiano Ronaldo

At 41 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo will walk onto a World Cup pitch knowing something that haunts him more than any defeat: this is almost certainly the last time. Five World Cups, 22 appearances, 8 goals — and yet the one trophy that would complete the most extraordinary career in footballing history remains locked behind glass in someone else's cabinet. The Euro 2016 triumph in Paris, the five Champions League titles, the 900+ career goals — none of it erases the ache of a World Cup medal never worn.

Critics will point to the Saudi Pro League move, to the declining pace, to the tears shed at Euro 2024 when the game seemed to be slipping away from him. But Ronaldo's entire career has been built on proving people wrong with an almost supernatural defiance of biology. His fitness obsession is legendary — the man who arrives first at training and leaves last, who sleeps in hyperbaric chambers and eats with the discipline of an Olympic athlete. At Al Nassr, the goals have continued to flow, even if the stage lacks the prestige of the Bernabéu.

Portugal's squad is loaded with talent — Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leão — and the tactical question of whether Ronaldo starts or serves as a super-sub will dominate every pre-match press conference. But in Group K alongside Colombia, Uzbekistan, and a playoff qualifier, Portugal have the quality to progress comfortably. The real question is what happens when the knockout rounds begin, when the lights are brightest, when CR7 has one final chance to chase the dream that Messi already caught.