Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘last dance’? Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon not convinced that Portuguese GOAT is done with World Cups despite being past his ‘peak’

Simon has played down suggestions that Ronaldo is entering the final chapter of his international career ahead of the World Cup round-of-16 meeting with Portugal in Dallas. The Spanish goalkeeper admitted CR7 is no longer the explosive forward he was six or seven years ago but insisted the five-time Ballon d'Or winner remains one of football's most dangerous penalty-box finishers. Spain's priority, he said, is to keep the Portugal captain away from goal-scoring positions.

Ahead of the knockout tie, Simon assessed the challenge of facing Ronaldo, pointing to the striker's remarkable efficiency inside the penalty area despite his advancing years.

"The Cristiano we have at the World Cup is not the same as six or seven years ago, when he was at his peak," Simon said, as quoted by O Jogo. "But we have to try to keep him as far away from the area as possible. In the Nations League final, he had a ball inside the area and scored. He has that goal-scoring ability that we would all like to have on our team.

"What Cristiano has is that, in the box, he turns himself around to finish, look for through passes, create space... He has great experience and teammates he's played with for a long time and understands everything perfectly. If he gets into the box, he's decisive. He reads these situations very well and we have to be prepared for everything."

With Ronaldo now 41, many fans and pundits have framed this tournament as his "last dance" on the global stage. However, Simon isn't convinced that the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star is ready to walk away from the international scene, regardless of the result in their upcoming knockout match. He believes the focus should remain on the pitch rather than the narrative surrounding Ronaldo's retirement.

"I don't think it's Cristiano's last dance," Simon stated. "Every game is different. The important thing is to focus on the game and not on what surrounds it in the media."

Spain now turn their full attention to the last-16 showdown in Dallas, where Ronaldo and Portugal stand between them and a place in the quarter-finals.