ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo's sometimes playful banter in a rare World Cup news conference ended in an exchange between Portugal's superstar and a reporter from Argentina.
Ronaldo took the moment on the eve of a round of 16 clash with border rival Spain to repeat something he has said at least once before.
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Croatia's Luka Modric (10) and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) greet each other after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) scores on a penalty kick past Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic (1) during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo speaks to reporters during a press conference ahead of his team¥s World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Spain, Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo speaks to reporters during a press conference ahead of his team's World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Spain, Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
This sixth World Cup for the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star will be his last.
“What remains with me is the people — the people who love you. I share hotels with the staff, Latino people, and those are spectacular memories. Yesterday on the flight, there was an Argentine flight attendant. And knew she was Argentine by the way she looked at me: ‘I knew you were Argentine by the way you looked at me. If you look away quickly, it means you don’t like Cristiano,’” Ronaldo said through an interpreter Sunday, breaking into a smile.
“I want to enjoy what will be my last World Cup to the fullest,” Ronaldo continued. “Hopefully, tomorrow won’t be my last match. That way, you can keep bashing me some more.”
Ronaldo made similar comments in a television interview late last year, a few months after Portugal won the UEFA Nations League title with a riveting victory over Spain in a penalty shootout.
Many of the questions for the 41-year-old during a 25-minute session at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys referred to what everybody in the packed room was assuming: This was it for Ronaldo.
Before the end, he joked with reporters that they were pushing him out the door. Just about every time he did, though, he would turn philosophical.
“There’s nothing missing,” Ronaldo said. “God was so generous toward me. He gave me everything I never expected to win, especially at the national team. And personally, the same thing. So it’s enjoying every moment. I’m not going to be more Cristiano or less Cristiano because I win the World Cup. Of course, we all have hopes, myself especially, and we all want all the conditions to win. But we know that only one is going to win.”
Ronaldo's World Cup finale — whenever it ends — will come eight years after he was the oldest to record a World Cup hat trick at 33. That was in a 3-3 draw with Spain in the group stage opener, when both of the soccer powers didn't advance to the knockout stage.
Portugal is trying for a second consecutive trip to the quarterfinals. The only other time Portugal went deeper was a semifinal run in Ronaldo's World Cup debut in 2006.
Ronaldo had the tying goal in Portugal's 2-1 win over Croatia in the round of 32. Three of his 11 World Cup goals have come in this tournament. It was a matchup of 40-somethings against Croatia's Luka Modric, who was in his fifth World Cup at 40.
“What I have done throughout my career is to adjust to the nuances of age, knowing that I’m not the player I used to be,” Ronaldo said. “But one thing I can understand very clearly is nothing has changed because I can still score a goal. I hope I do that tomorrow, and if I don’t, I hope others on the team do.”
This story has been corrected. A previous version reported erroneously that Ronaldo previously played for Manchester City.
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
Croatia's Luka Modric (10) and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) greet each other after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) scores on a penalty kick past Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic (1) during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo speaks to reporters during a press conference ahead of his team¥s World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Spain, Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo speaks to reporters during a press conference ahead of his team's World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Spain, Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's top officials and brothers of the new supreme leader emerged into public view Sunday to attend funeral prayers for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Their appearance projected unity, defiance and confidence in their safety as Iran pushes back on U.S. demands in negotiations to permanently end the war.
Crowds of hundreds of thousands chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” as they called for revenge over the Feb. 28 attack that killed the 86-year-old supreme leader and other top officials, triggering the war. Some hard-liners called for the assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make an appearance in the funeral ceremonies, which are unfolding over several days. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.
At the height of the war, before an April ceasefire, Israel had targeted top leaders, in at least one case likely using their public appearance to fix their position. It has also threatened to kill the younger Khamenei.
The U.S. is meanwhile pressing ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, rolling back its disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war. Talks appear to be on hold until after the burial.
Ziba Naderi, a nurse attending the funeral Sunday, said Iran needed to heed Mojtaba Khamenei's commands. “I heard the call for revenge, but our leader should say what we need to do,” she said. “And we must listen to him.”
Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old Shiite cleric, led the prayers at Tehran's Grand Mosalla for the late Khamenei and his family members killed in the strike.
On hand were Khamenei’s other sons, Masoud, Meysam and Mostafa, who had not been seen since the war. Revolutionary Guard head Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who was photographed for the first time since the war on Thursday, could be seen in the crowd by Associated Press journalists, flanked by plainclothes security forces and wearing a black baseball cap.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf — who has led the negotiations with the U.S. — and Esmail Qaani, who leads the elite Quds Force of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also attended.
The crowd had grown from the day before. Mourners dressed in black carried banners and flags honoring Khamenei.
Posters and graffiti at the Grand Mosalla called for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Why is the biggest bastard in the world still alive?” Mohammad Rasouli, a poet who emceed the event before the prayers, said to the crowd over loudspeakers, referring to Trump. “The world is no longer a good place” for Trump, he added as the crowd cheered.
“I came here to shout and seek revenge,” said Gholamreza Sabooni, a 29-year-old man who works in a grocery. “They killed our imam. We should kill their leader, Trump.”
The U.S. president was giving a speech at the same time across the world in Washington, D.C., for the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.
“We’ve had tremendous success,” Trump said about the U.S. military. “You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran. We wiped it out, wiped out their military.”
U.S. federal authorities have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump and other administration officials for years. The threats stem from Trump ordering the 2020 killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who had led the Quds Force. Iran repeatedly has denied plotting to kill Trump, though hard-line propaganda footage long has suggested Trump was in Tehran's crosshairs.
Trump meanwhile promised to destroy Iran's civilization during the war, among other threats.
Khamenei’s body will be transported to cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq, with authorities planning to drive his casket and others through the streets of Tehran on Monday. Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which will end Thursday as he is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei’s place of birth.
Authorities offered no attendance count for the event Saturday and Sunday. Other cities across Iran also held mourning ceremonies.
The funeral was in part a show of unity as Iran demands a measure of control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy that it shut down during the war. The U.S. has rejected those demands, and the sides are divided on other key issues, including Iran's nuclear program and the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The U.S. assisted 70 transits of the Strait of Hormuz over the past 72 hours, including 18 on Saturday, a multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday. It called traffic steady along routes near Oman and Iran but still below prewar levels. The threat level remained “substantial” and mine clearance and surveying work continued.
“Our foreign policy should not be shaped in a way that allows our martyred leader’s blood to be dishonored,” mourner Mohammad Reza Sharifi said. He said he expected a “serious response” from Iran's government.
Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Cara Anna in Lowville, New York, contributed.
A man weeps during funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A man weeps during funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A little girl raises her fist from atop a man's shoulders as mourners gather during funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A man bows over a portrait of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, and the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei next to a wall covered with messages at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque during funeral ceremonies for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A woman weeps at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque during funeral ceremonies for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A boy holds a picture of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, holding a machine gun at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque during funeral ceremonies for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In this photo released by Iran's Supreme Leader's office, the brothers of Iran's new Supreme Leader, from left, Meysam, Masoud and Mostafa Khamenei, attend funeral prayers over the coffins of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
A banner depicting President Donald Trump is held aloft as mourners gather during funeral prayers held as part of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family outside the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Motorcycles drive past a billboard showing the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Islamic Revolution Square in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Mourners pray during funeral prayers held as part of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Mourners attend funeral prayers held as part of the dayslong funeral service for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Mourners pray during funeral prayers held as part of the dayslong funeral ceremonies for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A man carries a child holding a red Shiite religious flag outside the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque during the funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Mourners write messages on a wall, including one in English that reads "We will kill Trump," during the funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Mourners walk through the grounds of the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque during the funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A mourner holds a portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as he walks past a wall bearing messages, including one in English that reads "We will kill Trump," during the funeral ceremonies for Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Mourners gather beneath a portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the funeral ceremonies for Khamenei and members of his family at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
