Cristiano Ronaldo: What World Cup records could Portugal's captain claim in his sixth and final tournament?
Very rarely in life do we get an opportunity to say goodbye in real time.
The end often comes before we know it's the case. But, as he enters his sixth and final World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo may well be saying goodbye to the footballing world.
Five Champions Leagues. Five Ballons d'Or. Domestic success in four different countries. He has two Nations League titles and a European Championship as well.
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All that eludes him is the famous gold trophy.
If he doesn't win it, the World Cup probably won't be his curtain call. His obsession with greatness means that he probably won't let go of the 1000 goals landmark that he is currently 27 away from.
Imagine if he does do it, though. Could there be a better ending?
Regardless, the most-capped international player will likely never feature on a global stage like this again. In that sense, this is a last dance for an all-time great.
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If it is to be the end, Ronaldo will leave behind an intriguing legacy at the world's biggest tournament. A legacy in which he could have several milestones to his name, yet is still rather unfulfilled.
After this summer, only Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will have played at six World Cups. However, should he find the net at least once, he will do what he wasn't able to at the Euros two years ago and become the first player to score at six different World Cups.
As for appearances in total, Messi currently leads the way with 26. Ronaldo is four behind on 22. It is impossible to think that Messi doesn't feature for Argentina. But on the slim chance the defending champions get knocked out in the group stages, he could only climb to 29 appearances.
Ronaldo can surpass that tally if Portugal go all the way and he appears in every game.
He could also surpass the Argentine in the rankings for the oldest goalscorer in a World Cup final. Messi is second behind Sweden's Nils Liedholm who was 35 years and 264 days old when he netted in the 1958 final.
Ronaldo will be 41 years, 5 months and 14 days old come July 19, meaning he would smash the pre-existing record. That is also true to the oldest player in a World Cup final, with the current record standing at 40 years and 133 days courtesy of Dino Zoff.
The final record he may have his eye on is the oldest goalscorer in the competition's history across all games, an accolade that currently resides with former team-mate Pepe.
Let's say that Ronaldo claims all the aforementioned records. That will mean he has six records to his name. That's no mean feat. But to do that he has to reach the final. If he doesn't he can only claim three of them. Still impressive, but perhaps not enough to overshadow his relatively disappointing track record in this competition.
Ronaldo has never made it past the semi-final. The only time he got to the final four was his first World Cup in 2006. Two decades ago.
As for his record of scoring in five consecutive World Cups, when you take into account he has only scored eight and failed to score more than once in four of his tournaments, there is this sense of wanting more from the face of a generation.
That's not all his own fault. Portugal's squads in 2010 and 2014 weren't particularly strong and were never likely to be pushing to reach the latter stages of the competition. But that's where you need your superstar to produce moments.
What Ronaldo moments have there truly been at World Cups? Only two spring to mind. His unquestionably fabulous hat-trick against Spain in 2018. Other than that, all he really has is that infamous wink after Wayne Rooney was sent off in the 2006 quarter-final.
Compare that to Messi for example. Not only has he gotten his hands on the trophy, he nearly single-handedly dragged Argentina to glory eight years earlier in 2014.
It's hard to criticise Ronaldo in any aspect. Especially when it comes to international football. Nobody has more caps. Nobody has more goals. He was inspirational on and off the pitch in 2016. Yet, in World Cups, it has never happened for him. This is his final time to change that narrative, or it will linger with him forever.
Regardless of his World Cup track record, Roberto Martinez had to include Ronaldo in his squad. Not doing so would've caused greater headaches.
However, if there is an insistence on him still being the be-all and end-all of this group of players, it could become problematic. His chase and subsequent failure to score in the last Euros was the main talking point of the team's tournament.
The reality is, with stars like Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Joao Neves arguably coming off their best seasons to date, the need to rely on Ronaldo is less than ever before.
As Portuguese football expert Kevin Fernandes told Sky Sports: "Ronaldo will always be the star, but footballing-wise, is an asset for Portugal and not the main protagonist. For the benefit of his country, one of the most clinical finishers of all time should be concentrating on providing the final touch as an elite poacher, while not looking to disrupt the flow of Portuguese attacks with an incessant need for the ball.
"As strange as it sounds to say, Ronaldo should be seen precisely as an asset - not as untouchable, given his limitations in the press and the characteristics of team-mates to provide further dynamism in Portugal's attack."
Is that the role Ronaldo will want this summer? No - that's not in his DNA. Truthfully, no one will care if it leads to glory.
If he can score for a sixth consecutive tournament and then be pictured holding the trophy at the end of the it, no one will remember that he played an inferior role.
All they will remember is that in his final act, Cristiano Ronaldo brought Portugal their first World Cup and, if this is the case, said farewell to the beautiful game with no stone unturned.
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