"We have to do everything to help him achieve this" - Portugal star claims Cristiano Ronaldo 'deserves to win the World Cup'
Portugal attacker Joao Felix has said that his national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the FIFA World Cup. It's the only missing major title in his illustrious trophy cabinet.
The soon-to-be 40-year-old is one of the best players in the game's history and its most prolific scorer, with 917 strikes for club and country. That's 67 clear of his closest challenger and arch-rival Lionel Messi, the Argentina captain who plies his trade with MLS club Inter Miami.
Felix - who has played alongside Ronaldo for Portugal since his first-team debut in 2019 - said about his compatriot's 'dream' (as per The CR7 Timeline):
"Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the World Cup. We have to do everything to help him achieve this. It's his dream. The only title he's missing."
Ronaldo has played in five editions of the World Cup, scoring in each one, registering a tally of eight goals and two assists in 22 games.
His most recent appearance in the competition was in 2022 in Qatar, where Portugal were upset 1-0 by Morocco in the quarter-final. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored just once in five games, with that strike coming in the 3-2 win over Ghana in their first group outing.
How has Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo fared this season?
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a decent start to the ongoing season with Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr, whom he joined in December 2022 on a free transfer, shortly after Portugal's World Cup exit.
Currently playing his second full season in Saudi Arabian football, CR7 is up to 17 goals and three assists in 20 games across competitions. Most of those goal contributions - 11 goals and two assists in 13 games - have come in the top flight, where Stefano Pioli's side are third, nine points behind leaders Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo has scored in his last four league outings - bagging five goals - with his most recent strike coming in the 3-1 home win over Al-Okhdood on January 9. He has also scored four times in as many games in the AFC Champions League Elite and two goals (and an assist) in two Saudi Super Cup outings.
