Cristiano Ronaldo is still looking for his first goal at Euro 2024, when he faces France in the quarter-finals on Friday. At 39 and in his last continental tournament with Portugal, the star striker still impresses but also faces plenty of criticism.
Just over a year after his failure at the 2022 World Cup and a photo of him crying in the stadium corridors went viral, Cristiano Ronaldo is still dreaming of Portugal's rise to the top.
After the title he won in France in 2016, the 39-year-old star hopes this time to win the Euro 2024 in Germany. Facing the Blues on Friday in the quarter-finals (9pm), CR7 will also be looking to score his first goal in the summer tournament and will therefore want to silence his critics.
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It is a record that is still out of reach.
Luka Modric, who scored against Italy in the group stage, became the oldest goalscorer in the history of the Euros. But the Croatian midfielder's impact does not seem to be continuing due to Cristiano Ronaldo. The author of a good season in the Saudi league with Al-Nassr with 44 points from 45 games in all competitions, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star arrived in Germany with great confidence in front of goal. He was placed at the forefront of Portugal's attack by Roberto Martinez, and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner started all of his team's matches with the captain's armband.
But now, despite the long time he has played, Cristiano Ronaldo has not scored a goal. What is worse is that the top scorer of the Seleção das Quinas is the player who has scored the most goals during the Euros. CR7 is still looking for his first goal, having shot on target 20 times from just eight attempts.
Since 1980, the striker is the fifth player to suffer from ineffectiveness in front of goal after Kevin De Bruyne (2016), Dani Olmo (2016), Fernando Hierro (1996) and his compatriot Deco, who had 24 shots without finding a foul during Euro 2004.
Ronaldo affected by the emotions of his last Euro tournament?
Beyond this unusual lack of success for a player of Cristiano Ronaldo's calibre, it is his mental state above all that may be of concern. A machine and a workaholic capable of redoubling his efforts to remain the best for years, the striker seems to have cracked his armor a little more during the Euros in Germany.
After missing a penalty against Jan Oblak during extra time of the eighth match against Slovenia (0-0, 3 tab 0), Cristiano Ronaldo burst into tears on the pitch and made his mother Dolores Alvero, who was present at the stadium, cry.
With the help of his partners, the Lusitania captain recovered well and put his shot on target to start the Portuguese season. The emotion may have been a bit surprising, but the statements that followed the match helped explain it.
“Even the strongest people have their days, I was depressed and sad because the team needed it,” the main figure told Sports TV. “I can't, I'll talk about it later, I'll talk later.”
Before coming to his senses a little in the process to the Portuguese public channel RTP: “Making people happy is what motivates me the most. The fact that this is my last Euro does not make me emotional. It is the feeling of joy that I feel when I see my supporters, my family and the affection they have for me.”
A case that is not discussed (also).
Against France on Friday, Portugal must once again call upon Cristiano Ronaldo to lead their attacking fleet. On the French side, we remain wary of the striker, who is often present at major events, but in Portugal we wonder about the merits of his playing time, but with his recent performances at Euro 2024 in a team he continues to play with, it could become a burden for the team. For now, things are holding up within the group and his coach still has confidence in him.
“First of all, I think Cristiano is a constant example for us,” said Roberto Martinez after qualifying for the quarter-finals. “When you see that he is the only player to have played in six European Championships, and that he has this responsibility, this desire, this conviction of a young man, his feelings are incredible for someone who has won everything and been through it all, he doesn’t need to carry much.”
Time to send him to the bench Fernando SantosCR7 has regained his undisputed status since Roberto Martinez's appointment after Qatar 2022.
“When you read the statements of the players in a press conference, his aura is always there. There is no press conference, regardless of the player or the coach, without a question about Cristiano Ronaldo. Afterwards, the players always say that he is a player.” “A very important man in the group, he carries a lot of weight because of what he represents or embodies,” explains Nicolas Vilas, a journalist at RMC Sport and specialist in Portuguese football. “Even apart from the titles he has been able to win in his career with the national team or the club, he is the record holder for selections and goals, of course he has a kind of aura surrounding the players.”
“The real turning point was the World Cup and the fact that he didn't start all the games, and that he came back. And there was the end of the story with Fernando Santos that didn't go well during the World Cup,” explained Nicolas Vilas. “The Cup, the new reality it gave him and the fans was: Portugal could do without Cristiano Ronaldo.
Managed by Roberto Martinez Questions
Ultimately, the problem seems to be less Cristiano Ronaldo than his management under Roberto Martinez. The problem is that, after a superb performance during the European Championship qualifiers with the second highest goal total behind Romelu Lukaku, the Portuguese striker ran out of fuel during the tournament.
“Taking into account, not only his individual performances but also the collective performances, there are a certain number of questions that are starting to surface,” Nicolas Vilas further analyses. “It is not so much about whether Cristiano Ronaldo should start or not, because there is a debate about who should be put between Gonzalo Ramos who is coming off an incredible season and Jota who is often injured. On the other hand, the question is whether he should play every game and every minute. There is a lot of debate about this. It is not really a question of pointing the finger at Cristiano Ronaldo, but at who is managing him. And that is Roberto Martinez. The debate is not about whether Ronaldo should play or not, but about his playing time relative to the player he is today, not relative to the player he was.
Opinion shared by Kevin Diaz on the show Generation afterThe RMC Sport consultant and Portuguese football expert does not understand Portugal's choice: “Of course Ronaldo can still serve for Portugal. But in no case should he be an undisputed starter. And above all, because he is a starter with this coach. Even if it is not my opinion, I am a little angry with Martinez because he is actually forcing us to scratch a legend, he who is forcing us with his disastrous management of the team since his arrival. He is the one who is forcing us to scratch someone we loved.”
