Ronaldo cries out to his teammates ahead of the World Cup qualifiers

Cristiano Ronaldo has shed tears for his Portuguese team-mates ahead of their World Cup semi-final qualifier against Turkey this week - and pledged to "fight" for a "good place" for this year's tournament in Qatar.

The 37-year-old Manchester United star will be keen to qualify for what could be his last World Cup, but his nation's hopes of securing a ticket to Qatar are on the horizon.

Portugal must beat Turkey at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto on Thursday, and then win the match between Italy and Northern Macedonia in a make-up match five days later, to secure a World Cup qualifier.

The 2016 European champions were forced to risk relegation after finishing second in their qualifying group following a 2-1 loss from Serbia - who went straight through - in the final round of the match in November.
"The perfect goal for the 2022 World Cup," Ronaldo said on Instagram. "I am proud, as always, to represent Portugal.

"We know that the path will not be easy, we have a lot of respect for the opponents we will meet and who have the same goals as us.

"But together, we will fight to put Portugal in its rightful place. Let's do it."

Portugal's failure to secure a ticket to the tournament in Qatar could mean the end of the life of Ronaldo, who has participated in the World Cup four times.

He will be 41 years old during the 2026 Championships in the United States, Canada and Mexico and making sure he has been awarded the World Cup song award in Qatar seems more of a concern in Portugal than getting there.

There has been speculation, however, that Portugal would be better off without Ronaldo - despite the fact that the team has not lost a game with him on the team since September 2014.

Portugal beat Croatia 4-1 without Ronaldo in the Africa Cup of Nations in September 2020, which many Portuguese journalists saw as the best performance in the eight years that coach Fernando Santos has been at the helm.

Ronaldo has also failed to reach his full potential with United since returning to Old Trafford last summer, with fans and speculators frequently questioning his value to the team.
Santos, who said he still sees Ronaldo as an integral part of his squad, claimed the future was the 'most important challenge' he has faced as a Portuguese coach.

"We have to be at the World Cup for our people," Santos said. 'Tickets were sold out over a minute ago. Our fans will be the main reason and we will not let them down. '

Portugal have suffered a blow in preparation for the Turkish match after defender Pepe was removed due to a Covid-19 virus infection.
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