The 40-year-old can give his country a massive boost if he calls time on his international career before next year’s tournament in North America

“If I don’t score and someone else scores, it’s all the same to me,” Cristiano Ronaldo declared after Portugal’s 1-0 defeat to Denmark in the first leg of their Nations League quarter-final tie. “If Portugal has to win and I don’t play, I’ll sign my name right now, tell the coach and I won’t play. I’ll defend these colours until the death.”

In an extremely rare admission of his human capacity for failure, Ronaldo also claimed he’s “played 50,000 bad games” since making his professional debut for Sporting CP back in 2002, before adding: “Things don’t work out sometimes.” It was refreshing to hear the five-time Ballon d’Or winner let his guard down instead of sticking to type and allowing his arrogant streak to run rampant.

However, actions speak louder than words, and what we’re seeing on the pitch suggests that Ronaldo’s perception of reality remains distorted. Indeed, if the 40-year-old were truly serious about putting Portugal’s collective ambitions ahead of his own, he wouldn’t still be making himself available for selection to Roberto Martinez.

Things haven’t been working out for the Seleccao for a good three years now, and Ronaldo is the main reason for that. The Al-Nassr superstar is still fit enough to bang in goals consistently in the Saudi Pro League, but it’s clear he can no longer keep up with the pace of elite-level football, which is completely understandable given his age.

Ronaldo’s refusal to acknowledge that is the problem. No one can take away the former Manchester United and Real Madrid frontman’s status as an all-time great, but he’s done serious damage to his legacy by extending his Portugal career far beyond its sell-by date. It can still be repaired, but only if Ronaldo is willing to break character and make a selfless decision: giving up on his dream of lifting the World Cup.