Ronaldo 'almost certain' not to play at CWC

Al Nassr and Portugal guardant Cristiano Ronaldo said connected Saturday helium did not program to play astatine the Club World Cup successful the United States, contempt being courted by clubs participating successful the expanded 32-team tournament.

Speculation implicit the 40-year-old's aboriginal intensified past period erstwhile FIFA President Gianni Infantino said discussions were underway astir Ronaldo playing successful the Club World Cup, contempt Al Nassr failing to qualify.

Al Nassr's sporting manager Fernando Hierro said past month they were negotiating with Ronaldo implicit a declaration hold but faced contention from a big of clubs anxious to motion the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Ronaldo himself added to the uncertainty aft Al Nassr's season-ending lucifer astatine Al Fateh, posting connected societal media: "This section is over. The story? Still being written."

Asked astir the anticipation of signing for different nine successful the coming days successful bid to play astatine the Club World Cup aboriginal this month, Ronaldo told reporters: "It's irrelevant, astatine the infinitesimal it doesn't marque consciousness to speech astir things different than the nationalist team.

"There has been plentifulness of interaction [from clubs], I spot things that marque sense, others that don't. You can't spell to each of them [clubs], you person to deliberation short, mean and agelong term.

"It's thing that's practically decided connected my part, which is not to spell to the Club World Cup, but I've had plentifulness of invitations."

On Wednesday, Ronaldo scored the victor arsenic Portugal bushed Germany 2-1 to spell into the Nations League final, wherever they volition look Spain.

Many person labelled Sunday's last arsenic a face-off betwixt Ronaldo and 17-year-old Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal but the Portuguese guardant said helium did not spot it arsenic such.

"It's ever been similar that, whenever I've played football, whenever I've played a large crippled it's ever been Cristiano against this one, against that one," helium said.

"It's been 20-something years and it's inactive the same, it doesn't support maine up astatine nighttime anymore, it's a mean thing. They're wholly antithetic generations, a procreation that's starting out, different that's finishing, which is my case.

"In world it's not similar that, it's a squad against a team. It volition ever beryllium similar that... What I privation astir is for Portugal to beryllium astatine a bully level, assured that things tin spell well, that we tin play a large crippled and triumph against a precise bully team, perchance the champion successful the world."