Richards backs Ronaldo to continue with Portugal and questions Shearer's England record

Micah Richards has come out in defence of Cristiano Ronaldo’s continued international career, arguing the 41-year-old remains capable of contributing to Portugal — and used the debate as an opportunity to question the calibre of opposition Alan Shearer scored against for England.

The exchange took place on The Rest is Football, where Shearer had reflected on the difficulty of accepting personal decline. “It’s the hardest thing to accept that you perhaps aren’t as good as you have been over the years,” Shearer said, in an apparent reference to Ronaldo’s situation with Portugal.

Richards pushed back immediately. “He’s still got a couple of years left in him, come on guys, he can still score. I’m not having that he’s done yet, he’s still banging them in.”

The discussion comes after Ronaldo issued a public apology on social media following reports that he walked out of the Portugal camp amid a disagreement with head coach Jorge Jesus over his playing time and role. Portugal won all four of their matches during the international break, and a growing school of thought suggests the team performs better without their record scorer.

Ronaldo’s recent international output has drawn scrutiny. He failed to score from open play at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, went goalless at Euro 2024, and managed just two goals at this summer’s World Cup — both against Uzbekistan. His club form at Al-Nassr remains prolific, with 132 goals in 155 appearances, though critics point to the standard of opposition in the Saudi Pro League.

When Richards was reminded of that modest international record, he turned his attention to Shearer’s tally of 30 England goals. “Ask Al who he scored against? Gaz scored against top teams, Al scored against some terrible teams,” Richards said.

Shearer’s only England hat-trick did come against Luxembourg at Wembley, though the Newcastle legend also delivered in higher-profile fixtures. He top-scored at Euro 96 with goals against the Netherlands and Germany, netted in the last-16 defeat to Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, and signed off his international career with the winner against Germany at Euro 2000.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, holds the record as the highest scorer in the history of international football, a milestone that Richards cited as central to his argument that the veteran forward still deserves his place in Jorge Jesus’s plans.