“I remember, as a child, my dream was to play in a World Cup. For all of my friends, everyone I’ve known throughout my life, it was our dream,” retired Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo recently reflected. If anyone knows the importance of the World Cup, it’s him. He played in four of them — lifting the trophy twice, while cementing himself as one of the sport’s most iconic players around the turn of the millennium.

Referring to suggestions that the tournament should be held twice as often, Ronaldo continued, “With this change, more and more people will be able to see this dream become a reality.” All the world needs is more World Cups, and it will suddenly be graced with more Ronaldos. He didn’t seem to wonder whether more frequent World Cups would help more players achieve their dreams — or simply see the same players from the usual countries qualifying more often.

Failing to consider that would be fine if Ronaldo was just thinking out loud about how to make dreams come true. Yet in reality, he was weighing in on what could be a defining battle for the sport’s future.