FIFA World Cup 2022 - Cristiano Ronaldo: On-the-wane talisman looking to sign off in style

Cristiano Ronaldo has had a torrid start to 2022-23 after spending a summer battling personal and professional problems.

Cristiano Ronaldo is an evergreen icon in world football. The Portuguese superstar has won every imaginable individual and team award most players would give a limb for. However, there is one trophy that has eluded the 37-year-old; a World Cup title for his country.

He will unsurprisingly be in focus in Qatar as he leads a star-studded Portuguese side in what will likely be his final outing in a World Cup. With 7 goals to his name in FIFA World Cups, he is the second-highest scorer amongst active players behind Germany's Thomas Mueller (10). Should he score at least once, in Qatar, Ronaldo will be the first male footballer to score in five different World Cup editions.

However, the journey to Qatar 2022 has not been easy for the veteran forward.

Football fans haven't heard the trademark "Suiiii" a lot this season. Why? Because Cristiano Ronaldo has had a torrid start to 2022-23 after spending a summer battling personal and professional problems.

It all started when speculation was rife regarding his future at Manchester United during the off-season summer break. The Portuguese superstar was angling for a move away from Old Trafford in an attempt to continue playing in the Champions League; a competition United is not part of this year. During this period, Ronaldo went through personal problems after his infant daughter developed health complications that forced him to miss pre-season with the club.

After failing to secure a transfer away from the club, his situation deteriorated as the season began. He lost his starting spot after manager Erik Ten Hag chose to trust younger players, and his relationship with the latter deteriorated as Ronaldo spent more time on the bench. Things reached a head last week when Ronaldo gave an unauthorised television interview in which he slammed the manager. He claimed to have no respect for Ten Haag and that the club had "betrayed" him.

However, despite the controversy still being fresh on everybody's mind, Ronaldo will focus all his energies on Portugal.

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Will @Cristiano become the first male player to score at five World Cups?#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/u4g6abMZmL

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— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 12, 2022

While his record-breaking career might be coming to a close at the ripe age of 37, Ronaldo is still Portugal's talisman. Ronaldo enters Qatar as the all-time leading international goal scorer with 117 goals and remains the first name on Coach Fernando Santos' team sheet.

His track record of scoring big, important goals for his country is unrivalled, and he will continue to carry the hopes and dreams of a country that has never tasted World Cup glory.

Plus, there is the extra motivation to win for Ronaldo as his long-time rival Lionel Messi also shares the same ambition of winning the World Cup for his country Argentina. The PSG forward has confirmed this will be his last World Cup, so Qatar could be the playground where the Messi-Ronaldo era comes to an end.

Portugal is in Group H alongside Ghana, South Korea, and Uruguay.