Cristiano Ronaldo should not have to shoulder Portugal’s hopes at the European Championship as he has in the past but expect no let up from him, even at age 36, as he sets his sights on becoming the top scorer of all-time in international football.
Ronaldo broke the 100 international goals mark last September and further strikes have taken him to within six goals of reaching former Iran striker Ali Daei’s record of 109.
Ronaldo has had his eye on that milestone for some time, remarking in 2019: “All records must be broken and I will beat that record.”
Ronaldo hit a stunning 11 goals in eight games in qualifying and was more than happy to fill his boots against minnows such as Lithuania, scoring seven goals in Portugal’s two games against them.
But he also thrives in tournaments, such as when he hit a hat-trick in the 2018 World Cup opener against Spain or broke the deadlock against Wales in the Euro 2016 semi-final.
Ronaldo has scored in all eight major tournaments he has played in and will get two early opportunities to prove himself yet again on the biggest stage when Portugal face Germany in their second Group F game before meeting France.
Portugal’s triumph in the last European Championship is unlikely to sate his hunger either as he was injured early in the final against France, spending the rest of it hobbling up and down the sidelines yelling encouragement.
If anything, Ronaldo will be more motivated to inspire Portugal to defend their trophy and play a starring role should they reach the final, especially after a bitterly disappointing season at club level with Juventus, although typically he still finished top of the Serie A scoring charts.
There should at least be a lighter burden on Ronaldo than when he practically carried Portugal to their first major trophy at Euro 2016 and had to make do with the likes of Ricardo Quaresma and Eder as forward partners. Now he can count upon fellow world class attackers such as Joao Felix, Diogo Jota, Bruno Fernandes and Andre Silva, who combine to make Portugal as potent a force as any at the tournament. Yet even with an all-star supporting cast this time, expect Ronaldo to play a leading role.
For all the emotion released by Portugal’s success five years ago, their Euro 2016 campaign was laced with good fortune, highlighted by the fact they only won one of their seven matches after 90 minutes. Aside from some notable names, their squad was short on quality and their triumph was built on excellent game management, an over-reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo plus a kind draw which saw them avoid the top sides until facing France in the final. They will get no such accommodation this time as they have been placed in the unforgiving Group F containing Germany and world champions France, with Hungary the weakest link.
So it is a good thing they have one of the most exciting squads around, full of proven matchwinners to take the burden off Ronaldo.
Their list of defenders alone makes for impressive reading. Ruben Dias was arguably Manchester City’s most inspirational player in their dominant run to the Premier League title while club team mate Joao Cancelo has had his best ever campaign at fullback and complements left back Raphael Guerreiro perfectly. Coach Fernando Santos has a wealth of options in holding midfield with a number of top candidates to partner mainstay Danilo Pereira, but it is his attacking options which are the most exciting. Indeed, the only concern for the coach is finding a place in the team for an overflowing list of stars containing Joao Felix, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota, Andre Silva as well as the insatiable Ronaldo, who is heading into his ninth major tournament.
Ronaldo, who has scored 103 times for his country, is one of few survivors of the Euro 2016 side but a winning thread remains in the current crop of players after they lifted the 2019 Nations League.
To Santos, the experience of finally getting over the line could be crucial.
“Since I can remember, Portugal always went to tournaments to win, that’s the standard. When I said I was going to Euro 2016 to win, I just verbalised what many thought in the past,” Santos told newspaper Record in May.
“The players were surprised but now they believe it. It was not a question of not wanting to, it was because they had never really thought about it and doubted it was possible. But I was convinced if we did certain things and managed to instil in the players the benefits of doing them, we could beat anyone.”
If a lack of belief held back previous talented sides containing the likes of Eusebio or Luis Figo, there can be little excuse for the current team, which is both as talented as any that came before it and knows what it takes to win on the biggest stage.
An image of Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (also caricatured) at a shop in Porto yesterday.
