LISBON, June 13 — Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday laughed off ideas that he could struggle for fitness at the World Cup due to his age.
The 41-year-old, who has played 227 times for his country, will lead Portugal in his sixth World Cup finals. Speaking to the press on Friday ahead of his side’s departure to the United States, he responded sharply to questions over whether he was still up to the task. “Physically? I’m fine — have you not seen my matches?” he answered, adding that the team coached by Roberto Martinez had prepared well for the tournament. “It has been good but tiring because we’ve worked hard,” he said.
The Portuguese won warm-up games against Chile and Nigeria, but Ronaldo insisted that “what matters most is when the ball starts rolling on the 17th, in the first game (against DR Congo) and then when the pressure really starts to mount.” “That’s when we’ll see the true champions,” he said.
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