Five Ballon d'Ors, five Champions Leagues, European champion in 2016 and the Nations League in 2019. Whether individually, with the club or with his choice, Cristiano Ronaldo has martyred his opponents and collected trophies for more than twenty years. If the twilight of his career is near, the 39-year-old has yet to hang up his boots and will play in his sixth European Championship this summer with Portugal, a record in the competition. The Portuguese, a 2004 finalist and 2016 winner, has impressed in this competition as he tops the scoring charts with 14 goals. Moreover, he was crowned the Euro 2020 top scorer with 5 goals (tied with Patrik Schick). Ready to showcase his talent once again, the player from Madeira is expected to reach a turning point in Portugal under Roberto Martinez. Absent against Finland (4-2 win) and remaining on the bench during the defeat against Croatia (2-1), he should be in the game this evening against Ireland. One last moment to prepare before the start of the competition that will be held on Tuesday, June 18, between the Portugal national team against the Czech Republic.
Cristiano Ronaldo is still important in the selection even if he knows that he is living his last moments and undoubtedly his last competition with Portugal, but he is happy to be part of the adventure again. “I am proud to be the first player to participate in six Euro finals. I am happy because it shows the length of my career. However, this is just one chapter of what Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved in football. I am happy and feel proud to be here to help the national team achieve its goals, and of course Trying to win it, which is our main goal.“, he announced proudly European Football Association website During the interview. The man who won 206 caps and scored 128 goals for Portugal spoke about his longevity and how he has managed to maintain a high level of competitiveness: “If a player wants to have a long life, he must have a great ability to adapt and the characteristics necessary for this adaptation. This is what I tried to do. It is no coincidence that I have been playing at the highest level for 20 years, and it is very difficult to maintain this performance. Only with a lot With discipline and hard work we can achieve these numbers.
Cristiano Ronaldo aims to win his second Euro
After coming on as a substitute during the last World Cup with Portugal in favor of Gonzalo Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo should return to his starting place. However, the Portuguese star knows that he no longer has the influence he once had and that other qualities such as leadership are expected. He is the captain of his national team and is preparing to compete in his eleventh international competition, and he will be keen to share his great experience within the Portuguese group: “I try to be a leader in a way that I find productive. I want to be a player who helps others, someone they can look up to, see as a role model, and be a good professional. I like to lead by example, as I often say. I'm not the type of person who talks a lot, but I do better.” To show who I am and when you have to close ranks, when things are not going well, you have to know when to discipline them and when to support them but when things are going well, you have to be with them and work together. The leadership style is very personal, but within This team we have a lot of leaders in their own way, and that's one of the reasons why I think we are a great national team.
Despite winning with Portugal during Euro 2016 and the 2019 Nations League, Cristiano Ronaldo still suffers from two failures in his selection. First during Euro 2020 against Belgium in the 1/8 final with a 1-0 defeat, then during the 2022 World Cup with this 1-0 setback against Morocco in the quarter-finals. Cristiano Ronaldo is convinced that this team is capable of recovering itself and winning the championship. But he was cautious when talking about victory: “I am convinced that this team will bring a lot of happiness to the Portuguese fans, starting with this European Championship. However, in my opinion, the best generation of players is the one that always wins. I hope this national team wins, because it is an incredibly talented team. But as We all know that talent is not enough to win. There are many things that help us win a major championship like this. We have all the ingredients to win the title, but we will take it step by step, match by match, with the belief that what we achieved in 2016 was historic, both for us For Portuguese football or for world football now, we have our feet on the ground, but our minds are looking towards the stars to see that it is possible to win the Euro.
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