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Turkey's Caglar Soyuncu is looking forward to his teams' FIFA World Cup 2022 playoff semis with Portugal on Thursday. He said he doesn't know if this year's World Cup would be Cristiano Ronaldo's last international tournament.
The Leicester City centre-back is expected to feature against Portugal, whose captain Ronaldo is looking to appear in what could be his last FIFA World Cup later this year in Qatar. The Portugal captain, 37, has made four previous appearances at the quadrennial competition.
However, Soyuncu believes his team's upcoming FIFA World Cup playoff game is more important for his country. He told Tivibu Spor (via Sporx):
"I don't know if it'll be Ronaldo's last World Cup, or if he'll quit. He said he wanted to play more in his posts. We haven't been to the World Cup in 20 years. I don't know if it will be Ronaldo's last trophy, but it's more important for us to go to this trophy."
The last time Turkey appeared at the FIFA World Cup was in 2002, where they put up an inspired performance as one of the tournament's underdogs. They made an inspired run to the semis before bowing out to eventual winners Brazil by a solitary goal.
Turkey will look to end their two-decade absence at the tournament by potentially ending the legendary Ronaldo's chances of a World Cup swansong in Qatar. Portugal will enter the Turkey clash a thes favourites. That's because they possess a number of world-class talents like Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Bernado Silva in their ranks.
Soyuncu, though, is optimistic ahead of a huge World Cup playoff tie for his country. He added:
"It's going to be a tough game. We're aware of that. We're going to start camping in the evening. We will play according to our teacher's tactics and knowing our place. Our opponent is a world-famous team, and they have important players. We've been good in the last few games with our coach. Hopefully we can prepare well and have a good game."
Will Cristiano Ronaldo fire Portugal past Turkey in their FIFA World Cup playoff semis?
The 37-year-old Ronaldo has been a perennial feature at the FIFA World Cup since making his international debut 19 years ago.
Despite his stint at Manchester United this season not going according to plan, he is still a huge threat on his day. His recent Premier League hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur saw him break the record for most goals scored in professional football history.
Portugal will hope for their captain to lead from the front and break Turkish hearts on Thursday night.
