Still Chasing Messi? World Cup Dream Could Keep Ronaldo Playing Until He's 50

Cristiano Ronaldo will not want to stop without a World Cup win that allows him to emulate eternal rival Lionel Messi, the Portuguese's former Manchester United team-mate Kleberson has told GOAL.

Ronaldo has already passed his 40th birthday and signed a contract extension with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr that will take him to the summer of 2027. He has been showing no sign of slowing down and is expected to grace another major international tournament this summer.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner remains captain of his country, with a record-setting tally of 143 goals to his name, and is as hungry as ever for tangible success. He saw Messi conquer the world with Argentina in 2022 and will be determined to ensure that he does not bow out without a similar entry being made on his glittering CV.

Quizzed on how desperate Ronaldo will be to capture a global crown, 2002 World Cup winner Kleberson - speaking in association with BetVictor Online Casino - told GOAL: "Inside of him he probably feels ‘gosh, I have to win the World Cup, I can’t finish my career like this’.

"He has to work hard. It’s not just him, it’s other players. Neymar also is probably thinking ‘Messi has a World Cup, I don’t’. [Erling] Haaland as well, he might not get a World Cup. It’s inside players, inside these top players.

"Look at Adriano - he’s a big name in Brazil, in Italy he played at a great level, but he hasn’t won the World Cup. The World Cup is sometimes fair, sometimes unfair. I believe those guys look at me and think ‘oh my gosh, I can’t believe Kleberson has a World Cup and I haven’t!’ I don’t have five Ballons’ d’Or, but I have won the World Cup!"

Kleberson got to witness Ronaldo’s initial rise towards superstardom at close quarters when