CRISTIANO RONALDO shut down claims from his own SISTER that he has planned to retire at the end of the World Cup.
Katia Aveiro, his elder sibling, was reported in Portugal as saying that CR7 would hang up his boots from the international game when his tournament ends.
That emerged just minutes before Portugal’s dramatic last-32 clash with Croatia on Friday morning in Toronto.
And footie icon Ronaldo, 41, went on to score a crucial goal in the tie, bagging a penalty to level things at 1-1 after 68 minutes.
Roberto Martinez‘s side won the match in stoppage time thanks to Goncalo Ramos, and Ronaldo then spoke about his plans.
He said: “My future isn’t important right now. I’ll have time, after winning or losing, I’ll talk to my family and then make the best decision.
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“I don’t make decisions in the heat of the moment anymore. Now, everything is done calmly. It’s about enjoying the present.”
Sis Katia, 48, is quoted as saying pre-match: “From the information I have, from a reliable source, I believe that this is the last dance, so let’s enjoy it.
“I believe it’s not today that they’ll say goodbye, but it’s coming soon. I strongly believe this is the farewell.
“So enjoy it a lot because it will be difficult to find someone after 200 goals. I’m talking about the Portuguese national team.”
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IT’S A KNOCKOUT
The knockout stages of the World Cup are hotting up.
England believe football might finally be coming home after 60 years of hurt, with Harry Kane on fire.
But the likes of France, Spain, Brazil and Argentina are all serious contenders to go all the way.
Heavyweights Germany and the Netherlands have both been knocked out on penalties in the Round of 32.
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Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo scored his third goal of the World Cup in Canada as Portugal edged through.
This is his SIXTH tournament, one of many records broken over the past two decades on the international stage.
He got two against Uzbekistan in the group stage and shouted “I’M BACK” into the camera.
But this was his first knockout round strike in TEN matches spanning recent tournaments.
He almost scored earlier on, taking down a brilliant pass and finishing well from close range only to be denied by the offside flag.
Ronaldo, who finally won silverware in Saudi Arabia last season, has now amassed 232 caps for his country with a record 146 goals.
He netted 30 times in 35 games for Al-Nassr last term and has 123 in 142 matches since joining.
Portugal are due to play Spain in a blockbuster last-16 meeting on Monday in Dallas.
They survived a late scare against Croatia after a dramatic 103rd minute equaliser was disallowed due to offside.
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