LAST-CHANCE SALOON

Qatar 2022 will most probably be the last World Cup in the glittering career of Cristiano Ronaldo. Can the Portuguese goal-scoring machine finally lift the one major trophy missing from his incredible CV?

- Nick Said

Much has been made of M Qatar 2022 being Lionel Messi's last opportunity to lift the World Cup, but it will also likely be last-chance saloon for another great of the game as 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo plays on the biggest stage of all for what you would assume will be the final time.

That being said, you should not bet against the Portuguese star still being fit and firing in 2026, but the smart money suggests this will be his last hurrah.

He remains a crucial member of the Portugal side and a talisman to the team, and when he is on the pitch, fans believe the impossible can be achieved.

He is, astonishingly, closing in on 200 Portugal caps, just short of the man FIFA recognises as the most capped international, Kuwaiti Bader Al-Mutawa, who retired earlier this year having made 196 appearances.

Ronaldo is already the leading scorer in men's internationals and for some, the greatest that ever lived, though that is a debate that could be had across generations. Certainly, he has no intention of quitting international football soon.