"Considering this will be my last World Cup, I hope tomorrow will not be my last match," said Portugal national team captain Cristiano Renaldo in a press conference before the 2026 World Cup round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium, Texas, United States.
Ronaldo has faced Spain many times in this match, often called the Iberian Derby.
Iberia is a peninsula in southwestern Europe where Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar, and France are located.
But this peninsula is more often associated with Portugal and Spain.
The two countries are close in many ways, not only geographically, but also culturally and historically.
Like Belgium with the Netherlands or the Republic of Ireland with the United Kingdom, both countries were once in a relationship of colonizer and colonized.
Their past backgrounds also make them close like best friends, but they are also often seen competing at an extreme level.
They hate but miss each other, frenemies who are both friendly and "hostile", but not in a warlike atmosphere.
They competed to show each other who was superior, which spilled over into everything, including football, until the term Iberian Derby emerged.
The derby has been held since December 19, 1921, and the second meeting in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup will be the 41st Iberian Derby, and the 13th in competitive matches.
Ronaldo has been involved in this derby many times, dating back to Euro 2004 when Portugal won 1-0 in the group stage thanks to a Nuno Gomes goal.
But after that, Selecao lost in the round of 16 of the 2010 World Cup when Ronaldo was already captain of the Portuguese national team.
Then, they lost again in the semifinals of Euro 2012, drew in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, and drew and lost in the UEFA Nations League in 2022.
