Portuguese footballer Francisco Conceição admits that he «really wants» to be at the 2026 World Cup with Portugal and, in a year that could be Cristiano Ronaldo's last presence in that competition, the Juventus winger believes that «the facts» that CR7 is presenting in the Seleção speak for themselves, about whether the national team is better with or without the current Al Nassr player. «It's normal for people to have their opinion, everyone has their own. But we feel that Cristiano, for everything he does and continues to do... There is nothing that the facts don't say. If he continues to score the goals he has been scoring, there is no doubt that he will be a help to the Seleção", said Conceição, in an interview with SportTV, broadcast this Friday, in which he also spoke about Sérgio Conceição and FC Porto. And if Ronaldo has his sights set on the 2026 World Cup with the Seleção, so does Francisco Conceição. «I really want to be there and I will do that, but I always feel a duty to prove that I deserve to be there every day and play where I play. The demands are maximum and every day I have to be at my best and demonstrate my ability to represent the country», he stressed. «All players dream of playing in a World Cup. I always say that the Seleção is the greatest example of a player and I want to be at the World Cup and be important in the Seleção, but until then there is this work that has to be done to be able to get there as prepared as possible", he said, also responding about Portugal's favoritism or not in the competition. «We have high expectations, but we have to think game by game, everyone will be important. There's no point in saying we're favorites if we don't demonstrate that quality on the field. There are many factors and we have to be prepared», he replied. Portugal is placed in group K and faces Uzbekistan, Colombia and the winner of the play-off which involves Jamaica, the Democratic Republic of Congo and New Caledonia. Still the conversation with Ronaldo and Juventus Asked if he spoke to Cristiano Ronaldo before heading to Juventus, the Italian club that CR7 represented, Conceição revealed that they both spoke, but with him at Juventus and when they met at the Seleção. «He said that it is a giant club and that it requires the maximum, because it is used to winning, that it is a club that wants to win all the competitions in which it participates. I like this demand and I feel good, I'm happy", he shared, pointing out as a "minimum objective" for the 2025/26 season, in the Italian championship, the first four places and consequent qualification for the Champions League. The title is not easy, but the Portuguese says that work is being done for the club to get there. «Right now we are ten points behind and it is difficult, but at this club you have to win. We are far away, but we have to try to get there. It's true that, not winning the title, it's always difficult at a club like Juventus, where the “scudetto"is the main objective. We are working to reach that desired title. We lost points at the beginning of the championship, we are behind and it is up to us to do our best to win that title again", he concluded.
