Portugal Is Already Planning a World Without Cristiano — and Messi Could Be Part of It in 2030
With CR7 bowing out of World Cups, the FPF is already mapping out 2030 — and Lionel Messi could have a role to play. Here's Portugal's plan.
Spain knocked Portugal out, and Cristiano Ronaldo said goodbye to World Cups. At 41, the greatest name in Portuguese football history confirmed it: 2026 was his last World Cup. So what happens now?
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) is already thinking about that — and the plan goes a long way. According to ge, João Medeiros Cardoso, the FPF's marketing director, told The Athletic that CR7 won't simply disappear from the picture in 2030, when Portugal will be one of the host nations alongside Spain and Morocco. "I am 100% certain he will play an important role in 2030, without any doubt," Cardoso said.
The project is called 'Legends of Portugal' and aims to use Cristiano's image to promote the country's tourism. But the most surprising part comes next: the FPF is studying the possibility of bringing Lionel Messi into that partnership. "When we talk about Messi and Cristiano, we are talking about probably the most influential people in history," the director stated.
On the pitch, the story is more complicated. The federation is avoiding naming a successor — and even the possibility of retiring the No. 7 shirt is being handled with caution, so as not to burden young talents with impossible comparisons.
Cristiano still has a contract with Al Nassr until June 2027, and Euro 2028 remains on the horizon, so a definitive retirement is still up in the air. But his off-field legacy is already being shaped.
The Golmetria model points to Spain — the side that eliminated Portugal — as the biggest favourite for the title, with a 35% chance of being champions. The CR7 era at World Cups is over. The era of what comes next is only just beginning.