Cristiano Ronaldo makes BIG statement, terms North Macedonia clash 'matter of life and death for Portugal'

After a nervy 3-1 win against Turkey, Portugal are one win away from sealing a spot in the Qatar FIFA World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Source: Twitter)

Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal will take on North Macedonia in the European Qualifiers final to book a spot in the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 on Wednesday (March 30). The captain has deemed the clash as a matter of "life and death" for the team.

Portugal defeated Turkey in a nail-biting finish and winning this match will seal the deal for them. They face a big challenge ahead as North Macedonia are coming into this fixture knocking out European Champions Italy.

Cristiano Ronaldo in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers:

46 matches
36 goals
1 assists
5 hattricks pic.twitter.com/qwjw8TXvBF

— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) March 29, 2022

"The team is quite confident, I feel all the players are ready. For us, this game is a matter of life and death, we are aware of its importance and I take this opportunity to appeal to the supporters to give us incredible support tomorrow," Ronaldo told during a press conference on Monday (March 28).

If Portugal qualify, it will be for the fifth time that Ronaldo participated in a FIFA World Cup and gets an opportunity to lift the trophy for the first time in his career. 

The five-time Ballon d'Or holder is already the all-time leading scorer in international football and will be 41 years of age when the FIFA 2026 World Cup will take place. Clearly, this could be his last chance to fight for a trophy he hasn't won in his astonishing career so far.