- All-time great still going strong at 39
- Set to grace 11th international tournament
- Has the full support of his manager
WHAT HAPPENED?
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been showing no sign of slowing down at club level despite now being 39 years of age. He has also taken record-breaking hauls of caps and goals for his country to 206 and 128 respectively ahead of Euro 2024 – as he prepares to grace an 11th major international tournament.
WHAT MERSON SAID
Despite being an all-time great, former Arsenal and England star Merson believes Ronaldo should not be selected through the opening games of a European Championship that Portual are expected to go well at. Merson has told Sportskeeda: “With Pepe and Ruben Dias at the back, they are defensively strong and there is a lot of guile in midfield, while they are blessed with devastating pace and goals upfront. Bruno Fernandes is a top-class footballer and should play a starring role for Portugal, while Cristiano Ronaldo is still with the squad despite entering the twilight years of his career. He’s still their captain and banging in the goals in Saudi Arabia, but I think they’ll see what he’s like in the camp and take a call on his selection. I would personally leave him out of the first two games and get qualification sorted before bringing him back for the final encounter. If he plays well, he can keep his spot and that’s the right way to go about it as it’s a massive jump for someone to come into the European Championship after playing at such a lesser standard in Saudi.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez has offered no indication that he is looking to start without CR7 in Germany, saying of having the talismanic forward in his squad: “There is no other player in world football who can bring what Cristiano can bring to the locker room. It’s going to be his sixth European Championship. He is the only player to have played in five European Championships. We are talking about a unique feat in world football and this experience is important. Then we have the other players on the field and decisions to make. Cristiano is ready to help and give everything he can.”
WHAT NEXT?
Euro 2016 winners Portugal will begin their quest for another continental crown when facing the Czech Republic on June 18, before going on to tackle Turkey and Georgia in their other Group F fixtures – with many tipping them to stake a serious claim for the ultimate prize.
