In what could be the last international tournament of his career, Cristiano Ronaldo can still play an important role in the Portuguese national team.
The Portuguese team is one of the most impressive names on its way to the EURO 2024 finals, with a winning record in all 10 qualifying round matches.With a team of world-class talents, coming of age and playing in many of the best clubs in Europe, it is not difficult to understand that the Opta supercomputer predicts that “Seleccao” will be among the top 5 candidates for the championship. with 9.2%.
However, when talking about the Iberian Peninsula team, there is a name that is 39 years old but continues to be the focus of every tournament in which this team participates: Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is no longer the center
In the 11th and possibly final international tournament of his career with Portugal, there has been much speculation about Ronaldo’s role at EURO 2024.
When Roberto Martínez was named the new coach of the Portuguese national team in January 2023, many people thought it seemed like the right time for a new start.
After Fernando Santos’ success with Euro 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019, it is clear that the Seleccao need to change the somewhat negative defensive style of play in order to make the most of the talent at play. The success of this team is extremely abundant.
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| Under the direction of coach Roberto Martínez, the Portuguese team demonstrated terrifying destructive power in qualifying for Euro 2024. Photo: Opta. |
How Martínez will use Ronaldo is also a big question mark. In fact, the Spanish strategist still has no intention of limiting the 39-year-old forward’s role in the team.
The evidence is very clear when you look at the numbers in Portugal’s qualifying campaign: Ronaldo had 9 of 10 starts, a number only surpassed by Bruno Fernandes with all 10 starts.
In terms of total minutes played, only Bruno Fernandes (844) and Rubén Días (810) played more than Ronaldo’s 726. This shows that the “Seleccao” still needs CR7 in Germany.
However, a major tactical change under Martínez is that Portugal is less reliant on Ronaldo than in previous years. Previously, it seemed like the Portuguese players’ only plan was to find ways to get the ball to Ronaldo and hope he found the next solution.
In the qualifying phase for Euro 2024, Ronaldo only had an average of 36.9 touches of the ball per game. There are 16 other Portuguese players who average more touches on the ball than the Al Nassr forward.
With individuals who have good technical bases in the midfield and in attack such as Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Rafael Leao or Joao Félix, it can be seen that the Portuguese team does not need Ronaldo to do everything.
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| Cristiano Ronaldo will no longer have to carry a heavy load in Portugal’s attack at EURO 2024. Photo: Opta. |
At 39 years old, the weight of age has affected Cristiano Ronaldo a little and perhaps the “Seleccao” should not depend on such an individual.
Instead, coach Martínez is trying to build his idea of a Portuguese team that attacks freely, liberally and combines with Ronaldo.
That also reduces the responsibility and burden of CR7. Instead, Portugal will use the experience and killer instinct of striker Al-Nassr to deliver the final “final blow” after combinations.
In the qualifying phase for Euro 2024, Ronaldo did not make any crosses and only made 3 dribbles. However, the important thing is that the 39-year-old striker took 46 shots and 19 balls on goal, scoring 10 goals, a figure just shy of Romelu Lukaku’s (14 goals) in the qualifying round.
Hope on the offensive line
The longer the wine is kept, the better it tastes. The older Ronaldo gets, the better he plays. The Portuguese superstar went down in history this season as the Saudi Pro League’s top scorer.
With 35 goals, CR7 broke the record of Moroccan striker Abderrazak Hamdallah (34 goals) in the 2018/19 season.
No matter what tournament he plays in, even when he is older, this player is still a terror for goalkeepers.
However, the story is very different for Portugal’s attackers in the 2023/24 season.
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| The data shows that Ronaldo touches the ball less, but has more time to create classy shots. Photo: Opta. |
In Europe’s top five leagues, the Portuguese player with the most goals is PSG’s Gonçalo Ramos with just 11 goals in Ligue 1, followed by Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Jota, both with 10 goals.
This makes it almost impossible for coach Martínez to remove Ronaldo and replace him with a young and dynamic striker.
CR7 is currently the top scorer in the history of EURO finals with 14 goals. In the five previous EURO appearances, Ronaldo scored at least one goal in each tournament.
In 2016, he had to leave the field due to injury in the final against France when Portugal lifted their first international trophy. If Portugal manages to make it this far in Germany, it will be the perfect ending to the “last dance” of one of the greatest legends in football history.
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Supercomputer Opta rates England as the number one candidate for the EURO 2024 championship. Meanwhile, defending champion Italy is predicted to have just a 5% chance of defending the throne. |
