Is he still good enough? Is he a given? Does Portugal still need superstar Cristiano Ronaldo without any ifs and buts? The 39-year-old himself has given the answer.
Cristiano Ronaldo proved all doubters wrong. He performed magic, scored goals like in a dream, fought and demonstrated in his own way that Portugal and, above all, he himself are to be reckoned with when it comes to the title. “Playing for the national team is a passion, it is a love,” he said.
His 207th international match, with goals 129 and 130, was both a declaration of love and a declaration of war. The strong Portuguese defeated Ireland 3-0 in the last test before the European Championship on Tuesday evening. This did not go unnoticed by the opening opponents, the Czech Republic. “Ronaldo shot down the Irish,” wrote “Sport” quite martially. The two teams will meet in Leipzig next Tuesday. Other opponents in Group F are Georgia and Turkey.
Joy of playing meets determination
And Ronaldo is ready. He did not play in the friendly against Finland (4:2), and in the defeat against Croatia (1:2), CR7 was still on the bench. The captain led the Seleção onto the pitch in Aveiro against Ireland. In the first half, he hit the post with one of his typical free kicks, and after the break, the superstar turned up the heat in a team with many other absolute top players from the best leagues in Europe. Two goals, the first spectacularly into the top corner in the 50th minute, the second ten minutes later. Another shot also grazed the side netting.
Joy of playing coupled with absolute determination – Ronaldo made it clear that a team without him is not conceivable for the time being, even if doubters had questioned his level of performance after his move to the Saudi Arabian league. Regardless of the 44 goals in 45 games for his club Al-Nassr. “European Championship superstar or prominent bench warmer?”, Austria’s “Kurier” had already asked. Ronaldo gave the answer on the pitch.
“Ronaldo fits into plan A, B, C, D – and the whole alphabet,” wrote Portugal’s sports newspaper “A Bola” on Wednesday. Because Ronaldo, the impression after the Ireland game, is adapting even more. Experts were already talking about his best performance since Roberto Martínez took over as coach of the team in January 2023. “It looked like he (Ronaldo) still had a lot to say at his last European Championship,” wrote Spain’s sports paper “Marca”.
Tears are part of it
At the back – in the first half with the 41-year-old Pepe – compact and disciplined, sometimes with quick short passes in the build-up and in the attack, but also sometimes with long diagonal passes – Portugal presented itself in a variable and powerful manner. No wonder, in the qualification for the European Championship, the 2016 European champions had won all ten games and conceded only two goals out of 36 scored.
The question of how good Ronaldo would be hung over the Portuguese. When he left Europe, the exceptional athlete also fell out of sight. Despite some high-profile names and huge financial sums, the level of the league in Saudi Arabia is hardly comparable to the Premier League, the Primera Divisíon or Serie A, which Ronaldo helped to shape during his time at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus Turin.
But Ronaldo has clearly lost none of his ambition and determination. The tears after losing the cup final in Saudi Arabia showed that. His clenched fist and determined look during the game against the Irish also showed that.
The next European Championship record is approaching
Ronaldo has already played in five European Championships, and on June 12, 2004, he played his first European Championship match at the home tournament. 24 more followed, no one has played more European Championship games, and no one has scored more goals than Ronaldo with 14. His sixth participation, when he takes to the pitch at kick-off on Tuesday, will also be a record. Adapting is the key, Ronaldo stressed in an interview on the UEFA website. “It is no coincidence that I have been playing at the highest level for 20 years, but maintaining this performance is very difficult.” Even if it looked easy against the Irish.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
