Portugal’s superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been optimistic about participating in Qatar in 2022 even after the painful setback in World Cup qualification. “Football has shown us again and again that it is sometimes the most difficult ways that lead to the best results. Yesterday’s result was tough, but not enough to get us down,” wrote the 36-year-old striker on Instagram on Monday. Portugal lost 2-1 to Serbia in front of their own audience and now have to take the tricky detour of the playoffs. The proud soccer nation missed a major tournament for the last time in 1998.
“The goal of going to the 2022 World Cup is still there and we know what to do to get there. No excuses. Portugal on the way to Qatar,” Ronaldo continued in his post in Portuguese. For the football star from Manchester United, qualifying for Qatar (November 21 to December 18, 2022) would be equivalent to participating in the World Cup for the fifth time after 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018. So far, Ronaldo has scored at least one goal in every World Cup final achieved.