Cristiano Ronaldo will not play at Club World Cup despite ‘plenty of invitations’

Cristiano Ronaldo has said he does not plan to play at the Club World Cup in the United States, despite being courted by clubs participating in the 32-team tournament. Speculation over the Portugal forward’s future intensified last month when the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, said discussions were under way about Ronaldo playing despite his club side, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, failing to qualify.

Asked about the possibility of signing for another club in order to play Ronaldo said: “It’s irrelevant, at the moment it doesn’t make sense to talk about things other than the national team.

“There has been plenty of contact [from clubs], I see things that make sense, others that don’t. You can’t go to all of them, you have to think short, medium and long term. It’s something that’s practically decided on my part, which is not to go to the Club World Cup, but I’ve had plenty of invitations.”

Al-Nassr’s sporting director, Fernando Hierro, said last month they were negotiating with Ronaldo over a contract extension but faced competition from clubs eager to sign the five-times Ballon d’Or winner. Ronaldo added to the uncertainty, posting on social media: “This chapter is over. The story? Still being written.”

The 40-year-old scored the winner as Portugal beat Germany 2-1 in the semi-final at Munich’s Allianz Arena – also the venue for the final against Spain on Sunday. The Portugal captain played down suggestions that it is a face-off between himself and the 17-year-old Barcelona sensation, Lamine Yamal. “It’s always been like that, whenever I’ve played football, whenever I’ve played a big game it’s always been Cristiano against this one, against that one,” he said.

“It’s been twentysomething years and it’s still the same. It doesn’t keep me up at night any more, it’s a normal thing. “[We] are completely different generations, a generation that’s starting out, another that’s finishing, which is my case. In reality it’s not like that, it’s a team against a team. It will always be like that.

“What I want most is for Portugal to be at a good level, confident that things can go well, that we can play a great game and win against a very good team, possibly the best in the world.”

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappé has insisted he was happy to see his former club, Paris Saint-Germain, win the Champions League for the first time after his departure last summer. PSG thrashed Inter 5-0 in Munich last week to lift the trophy, 12 months after Mbappé left on a free transfer in acrimonious circumstances. The France forward moved to the Real Madrid, who were knocked out of this year’s tournament by Arsenal in the quarter-finals.

View image in fullscreen Kylian Mbappé has congratulated his former club, Paris Saint-Germain, on winning their first Champions League title. Photograph: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Uefa/Getty Images

“I was happy, they deserved it,” Mbappé said. “They’ve been through so many problems, I’ve been through that too. I’ve been through every stage of the Champions League except winning it,. They were the best team in Europe.

“I can’t remember ever seeing them go 5-0 up. It’s 100% deserved, they’re becoming the team everyone wants to beat.”

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Speaking before France’s Nations League third-place playoff against Germany in Stuttgart on Sunday, Mbappé also backed compatriot Ousmane Dembélé to win the Ballon d’Or award, ahead of Spain and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. “Would I vote for Dembélé? Yes. Is there really any need to explain? I’m going for Dembélé. It’s very clear.”

Mbappé scored 43 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid, winning the European golden shoe award, but his team failed to win a major trophy, beaten by Barcelona in the title race and Copa del Rey final. The 26-year-old has also been involved in a legal dispute with PSG over €55m in wages he claims the club have not paid him.

The France forward claimed there were no hard feelings over his departure and PSG’s European success. “PSG won the Champions League without me, that doesn’t affect me. That’s a good thing. We all face challenges in our careers.

“I’m a bit more in the eye of the storm, which is good. I’ve always liked being in these positions, it’s up to me to work. I’ve reversed quite a few trends in my career, I’ve had a lot of things stuck on my back and I’ve managed to get them off.

“Did I leave too soon? No, my story was over, it had to end,. There was no bitterness, I’d reached the end of my tether.”

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