Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal Desires Boos from Irish Supporters

The Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo stated that he wishes for fans in Ireland to jeer at him ahead of Thursdays World Cup qualifying game in Dublin.

A win would guarantee Portugals place in the 2026 World Cup finals, and Ronaldo believes that drawing the crowds attention to himself might relieve some tension from his colleagues on the pitch.

This holder of five Ballon dOr awards is targeting participation in a sixth World Cup come next summer, with Portugal currently topping qualifying Group F by five points and just two fixtures left.

"The crowd in the stadium will jeer at me. Im accustomed to that. I truly hope they do. It could ease the burden on the other players," Ronaldo remarked during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Ronaldo anticipates a challenging encounter, noting that Ireland will likely adopt a defensive stance to restrict space for him and his team-mates.

The ex Manchester United and Real Madrid striker also fielded questions regarding the chance of netting his 1000th career strike in a World Cup final.

"You have been viewing far too many films. That would be overly ideal," chuckled the 40 year old Ronaldo.

"Returning to the real world, all these figures bring me joy. A national side never relies solely on one individual, yet I enjoy contributing through my goals.

"Scoring is always rewarding. That is my role. I aim to feature in the upcoming World Cup. Otherwise, I would not be involved. But lets proceed gradually."

At present with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has tallied 953 goals throughout his professional journey so far.

The forward holds the record as the highest scoring male international player with 143 goals, and he mentioned on Tuesday that he views the 2026 World Cup as his final tournament, anticipating retirement from the sport in the next few years.

That said, during Wednesdays session, Ronaldo preferred to emphasise the squads objective of securing qualification over delving into his personal prospects in football.

"There is little value in repetition and distraction," he continued.

"Perhaps in due course, I will conduct further interviews and express my thoughts on the future more directly. But for now, Portugal has a chance to reach yet another finals."