Cristiano Ronaldo And Portugal Arrive In Toronto To Face Croatia In Sensational World Cup Send-off

It will be a scene the diehard supporters of Portugal and its living, striking legend, Cristiano Ronaldo could only have dreamed of for the two decades they’ve watched their hero perform and produce.

It will start in Centennial Park in Etobicoke early Wednesday evening, the training home for a handful of visiting World Cup teams, and it is there that the great No. 7 will begin his celebrated visit to the city.

“Toronto, estamos prontos,” Ronaldo declared on his X account on Tuesday. “Toronto, we are ready.”

The training session in the suburbs is just the prelude to the big event. In the sixth and final tournament game to be played at BMO Field, or Toronto Stadium as it is FIFA labelled, the city’s fans get possibly the best match yet and certainly the one that will capture the most attention around the world.

It won’t have the patriotic bliss of the tournament opener here between Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina, but an elimination contest between Portugal and Croatia featuring the superstar himself is compelling stuff. And the global television audience for the Round of 32 elimination game will be measured in hundreds of millions, thus making it the most-watched sporting event ever played on Canadian soil.

Add to the fact that, with a Portugal loss, it in all likelihood will be the final time Ronaldo wears the red and green of his homeland in international competition and the moment grows larger still.

It is a gift from the tournament gods — and Portugal slipping behind Colombia into second during group play certainly helped — that the iconic striker has landed in the city. Toronto’s Little Portugal, alight throughout any World Cup, will be enraptured.

Not to be forgotten, of course, is Croatia’s own legend and captain, Luka Modric. At age 40, it’s also expected that he’ll end his international career after this tournament, meaning Thursday’s showdown is likely to be the last for one of the two all-time greats.

And what a scene it will be as a parting gift for Toronto’s World Cup hosting duties.

At age 41, Ronaldo isn’t the force he once was, but his star power still blazes bright and the striker’s skill is still in play.

For all he has accomplished on the global stage, the World Cup is the one top-tier trophy that has eluded him in his career, his best finish being a semifinal berth in Germany way back in 2006 when he made his debut.

With 10 goals in his 25 World Cup appearances, Ronaldo’s legacy may ultimately be defined by the fact that he is the only player to score at six different editions of the showcase tournament. That remarkable feat was accomplished when he found the back of the net against Uzbekistan in group play.

Next up among the challenges: Ronaldo has yet to score in a World Cup elimination game. What a time and a place to change that.

Incredible enough that he is playing in a World Cup 20 years after his first — as is Lionel Messi with Argentina — and he can still score.

Has he lost a step? Sure. Ronaldo was not at his best in a 0-0 draw with Colombia, but he did lead his team in scoring during Cup qualifying with five goals in six contests. The flashes still exist.

While not as speedy as he once was, Ronaldo’s knack of getting free (as the great strikers all seem to do) and his lingering prowess at being able to finish make him dangerous.

For a city that saw Messi back in early May, when Inter Miami visited for an MLS clash with TFC, getting Ronaldo adds to a magical summer for the beautiful game here.

A battle between a pair of European powers is certainly one of the more intriguing of the Round of 32 phase and one that will be played out before a pair of teams that each have massive fan bases in the city.

It also makes it arguably the most enticing match of the 13 to be played in Canada during the tournament. While Vancouver’s Round of 32 affair has No. 16 Switzerland facing No. 18 Algeria, the FIFA rankings for the Toronto contest are the eight-ranked Portuguese facing No. 13 Croatia.

Bigger than the slotting, however, is the passionate fan bases. As we saw during group play when Croatia defeated Panama, the host Southern Ontario Croatian community was a presence. Put them in a blender with the passionate Portuguese and the scene will be sensational.

This will in fact be Ronaldo’s second time on the lakefront pitch, albeit in what seems like a football eternity between visits.

It was 2009 and Ronaldo had just moved on to Real Madrid when his new club visited Canada for an international friendly against Toronto FC.

Ronaldo, FIFA’s reigning player of the year at the time, scored a first-half goal and was substituted out in the 62nd minute to huge applause from the Toronto crowd, as the invading Spanish giants toyed with the MLS side in a 5-1 win.

Of note, the cost to bring Ronaldo and his star-studded Real Madrid teammates was dear. TFC agreed to lay a natural grass turf over the artificial surface at the time, plus shell out a reported appearance fee of $1 million U.S.

While it’s not always easy to gauge the accuracy of secondary markets, there were reports this week that some premium seats at Toronto Stadium were going for as high as $30,000.

The bottom end of that market was $2,600.

On one of those ticket resale sights, Seatgeek, a number of options were available in the $2,400 range.

Whatever the get-in cost, the scene down by Lake Ontario is going to be spectacular on a steamy Thursday evening.