While Cristiano Ronaldo may be nearing 40 years of age and playing his football outside of Europe, evidence would suggest that the talisman should not be written off in the slightest.
The attacker will lead the Portugal side as they look to record a memorable 2024 UEFA European Championship campaign and while some may have written him off from being one of the outstanding performers based on the aforementioned reasons, he could be a key piece in the jigsaw that would allow the nation to do well at the tournament.
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A Selecao will no doubt be one of the favourites to progress from the group stage given that their opponents and competitors in the preliminary round are Georgia, Czech Republic, and Turkey – none of whom are considered to be footballing powerhouses on the continent especially when compared to the star power that Portugal boast.
The side will also boost the five-time Ballon d'Or winner as their talisman because of the immense creative talent he will have behind him in the form of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, teenage sensation Joao Neves, as well as Diogo Dalot and Joao Cancelo, who will burst forward from their wing-back positions to assist in the creation of chances. Mixing all that with Ronaldo's prolific nature and his intelligence in front of goal, it becomes an attack that not many defensive units would be able to handle.
Despite being a 39-year-old, the former Real Madrid star has proven that his ability to fire in a frightening number of goals on a regular basis has far from disappeared, albeit in the Saudi Pro League. In the 2023/24 campaign, the forward bagged 44 goals and 13 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions for his side Al Nassr.
Regardless of whether people consider the level the football in the country to be of a low or high standard, those numbers are very impressive, and are also signs of a player in his own class. Karim Benzema, in comparison, made 29 appearances for Al Ittihad over the course of the campaign, but managed to score just 13 goals.
His last outing with Portugal also demonstrated his ability to compete at the international level. He netted twice to help his side to a 3-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in an international friendly on Tuesday. In the game prior to that, the side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Croatia, a game in which the forward did not feature. Perhaps it is an indication that the former Manchester United player brings much more to the team than solely his goal contribution, as his leadership was put in the spotlight and praised by the national team manager Roberto Martinez.
"Cristiano's commitment as captain is incredible," Martinez said after his side's win over Ireland per GOAL.
"Today we saw two world-class finishes, but what I liked was the work and trying to assist. He has two goals, he's in the box and the the first option is to watch, it shows solidarity, companionship and important values in a locker room to go to a European Championship. I really liked that. The finishes are something to keep and show to the children, because they are incredible."
This EUROs will be the player's sixth after making his first appearance in 2004. Speaking to ESPN, the 39-year-old confessed to knowing that he does not have many years of football left and as such, he will most likely be looking to go out on a high – a situation that could spark his motivation, and a dangerous Ronaldo is a force to be reckoned with.
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