Schmeichel: Ronaldo Retirement Will Be 'Really Difficult'

Schmeichel, who played against Ronaldo during the 2026 World Cup, understands the 41-year-old's struggle with accepting the end of his international career. 'I know exactly what he's feeling right now,' Schmeichel said about Ronaldo following Portugal's round of 16 loss to Spain. 'It means everything to play for your country. Look at his body language. It hits you, and it hits you harder than you're ever going to expect.'

Ronaldo announced this was his 'last' World Cup but is still considering his future in club football. The Portugal legend, who has 11 career World Cup goals and 976 total goals across 1,326 games, is physically capable of continuing but faces the psychological challenge of not playing in another World Cup. 'Those stadiums, you're not going to be able to play in them again. That's a really, really tough thing,' Schmeichel added. sportbet.reviews