Cristiano Ronaldo faces a significant challenge as Portugal gets ready to play France in the Euro 2024 Quarterfinals.
Despite being Portugal’s main man for almost 20 years, Cristiano Ronaldo is far from playing at his best ahead of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup with France in the Euro 2024.
Despite being Portugal’s main man for almost 20 years, Cristiano Ronaldo is far from playing at his best ahead of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup with France in the Euro 2024. Ronaldo, who is currently 39 years old and plays club football in Saudi Arabia, is displaying his advancing years in what is undoubtedly his final major international competition. Ronaldo’s ability to score goals has been the highlight of an amazing career in which he fought Lionel Messi for the title of best player in the world for many years.
However, he has not scored a goal in Germany and has not appeared to be about to do so in a string of performances that have not significantly increased his nation’s offensive production.
In all four of Portugal’s matches, coach Roberto Martinez has started Ronaldo, who has mostly done nothing but set up goals for Bruno Fernandes.
When Ronaldo failed to convert a penalty kick against Slovenia on Monday, the game ended in a draw and required a shootout, potentially jeopardizing Portugal’s prospects of making it to the round of eight.
By converting the opening penalty kick, Ronaldo “paved the way” for Portugal’s final triumph, according to Martinez, which set up Friday’s matchup with Les Bleus.
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Martinez declared, “It was a victory for unity, from the dressing room.” “Cristiano, our captain, demonstrated that we must persevere through challenging times in both life and football.
“We have to keep going and it was a demonstration of what to do when things aren’t going well.” It has been evident for some time now that Ronaldo is no longer the incredible player he once was, despite his bravery in taking the first penalty so soon after missing.
After missing a penalty in extra time and conceding a goal in the shootout, Ronaldo broke down in tears and apologized to the supporters. “First it was sadness and then it was joy, that’s what football gives you, inexplicable moments, a bit of everything,” Ronaldo stated.
“I didn’t make a single mistake this year and when I needed something the most, Jan Oblak saved it.” If Ronaldo and Portugal are to overcome a strong French defense, they will need to perform far better than they did against Slovenia.
In their close 1-0 victory over Belgium in the round of 16, France’s defense proved adept at keeping Romelu Lukaku and Jeremy Doku quiet. To date, they have not allowed a goal in open play in Germany.
With fourteen goals, Ronaldo leads all scorers in the European Championship. He also holds the record for most appearances made in the competition and is the only player to score in five consecutive Euros.
But if he can’t connect with his teammates, his record-breaking days are done, and Friday could end up being a depressing send-off for the Euros.
