Cristiano Ronaldo insists now is "not the right time" to talk about his international future in the wake of Portugal's 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the World Cup round of 16.
Two Edinson Cavani goals either side of Pepe's equaliser in Sochi ensured the South Americans booked a quarterfinal against France, and Real Madrid forward Ronaldo said he is sure Portugal will bounce back -- whether that is with or without him.
"I reckon it is not the right time to talk about the future, but I am sure that our national team will continue to be one of the best in the world, with awesome players, a fantastic group, and young as well," he said in a video posted on FIFA's official Portuguese-language Twitter account. "A group that has a big ambition to triumph and that is why I am happy about everything."
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Ronaldo also said that Portugal were unlucky to lose to Uruguay.
"We have to congratulate Uruguay because they scored twice," he said. "However, we also have to praise Portugal for the match. In my opinion Portugal played better than Uruguay, we had some opportunities, but that is what football's about: who scores more goals wins, so that is why Uruguay is to be congratulated."
"Overall, we have to cheer ourselves up. As a captain, I am always proud of this group, the staff, and all the people who worked hard in order to this World Cup to be successful. In addition to that, I would like to congratulate the tournament's organisation, as it was very well structured, secured, very good."
Despite being Portugal's and Europe's all-time leading international scorer, Ronaldo remains without a knockout stage goal at the World Cup in his career, and will be 37 by the time the 2022 tournament rolls around.