Perhaps in retrospect it was foolish to rule him out, but after everything that happened in Qatar it seemed reasonable to assume that Cristiano Ronaldo would not return for another major tournament.
That was the World Cup final during which Ronaldo cut ties with Manchester United, shaking the Portugal camp with the fallout from that explosive interview with Piers Morgan and criticism of Erik ten Hag.
And he left in a hurry. Relegated to the bench, in dispute with coach Fernando Santos and humiliated by Morocco in the quarterfinals, with only 10 touches from Ronaldo in his 39 minutes on the pitch.
For all his greatness, he could not change the outcome. His powers were waning, his enormous ego was damaged and if looks could kill, Santos would never have flown out of Doha.
As it turned out, appearances could be dismissive. Santos, the coach who led Portugal to glory at Euro 2016, was replaced by Roberto Martínez.
Cristiano Ronaldo is hungrier than ever for success ahead of his sixth European Championship
This comes despite the 39-year-old pocketing £160million a year following his move to Saudi Arabia, including endorsement deals (pictured with partner Georgina Rodriguez).
Ronaldo remains one of the most marketable players in the world near the end of his career.
But he also continues to produce good results on the field, and left the pundits and Portugal fans drooling over his performance against Ireland last week, where he scored two goals.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia but refused to fade into obscurity, winning the Golden Boot with a record 35 goals and becoming the first footballer to top the scoring charts in four different countries.
“I don’t follow the records, the records follow me,” he told his 632 million Instagram followers.
It’s hard to argue. There is one more season on his current contract, at which point he will turn 40, and talks are underway to extend the deal through 2026.
So here he is about to become the first to participate in six European championships, while also fueling the idea that he could also become the first to reach a sixth World Cup.
“Records are always positive,” Ronaldo said in 2022, when he surpassed Kuwait’s Bader al Mutawa and set a new record for international appearances. ‘They are my motivation. I like to break records and this record is special, but I want to continue playing even more games. I don’t want to stop here.’
He now has 207 caps and holds the record for most international goals, now with 130. Harry Kane follows him for the most goals he has scored for England.
And Ronaldo continues to score freely at 39 years old. Only Romelu Lukaku (14 goals) scored more in qualifying than his 10 and two more in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland this month had pundits drooling over what they claimed was his best performance in years. .
“Cristiano is in the national team on his own merits,” Martínez said before Tuesday’s game against the Czech Republic in Leipzig. ‘No one enters the national team just because they are a name.
The appointment of Roberto Martínez as Portugal coach has been good for Ronaldo
Ronaldo has scored an astonishing number of goals for club and country over the last 12 months.
“He is scoring goals with incredible consistency. For us he is a goalscorer, someone who can take the last step and stretch defenders. Over the years he has changed his way of playing slightly, but he is in the team on merit and The numbers back it up.”
Last week, Martínez spoke to UEFA.com about Ronaldo’s effect on others: “After each session, the coaching staff and I will be surprised that a player who has achieved everything, who can choose the effort he puts into the training, be motivated. to win, he is obsessed with being the best, he is obsessed with perfection.
‘That’s contagious. Young players, when they come to the national team, they see a person, a player, an idol that they have been admiring, and their behavior is incredible. “Players like Pepe and Ronaldo who set that example will make us better for future generations.”
Martínez has been good for Ronaldo. He is a fluent communicator, capable of satisfying the media’s obsession with his captain and a skilled manager.
“Roberto has always had a wonderful ability to understand footballers,” says Graeme Jones, the Newcastle coach who was Martínez’s assistant during his successes at Swansea, Wigan, Everton and Belgium. ‘I would call it his greatest strength. He can deal with great players and build a team around him. He has done it his entire career with nonconformist players.
Ronaldo wants to win more international titles after World Cup disappointment
“Tactically, he can prepare them to defensively take on whoever plays up front and make sure they are productive in possession. He always had a great ability to get top players to enjoy his football. He doesn’t want 11 robots. That’s why he has embraced “Ronaldo. He’s not getting any younger, but he can still impact a game.”
Ronaldo has sometimes played as a center back in the front three. Sometimes in tandem with Gonçalo Ramos. And he hasn’t played every minute. Ronaldo started nine of the 10 qualifying matches, finished only five and participated in only two of five friendlies.
Martínez is equally careful not to subdue other members of the team. Ramos, Bernardo Silva, Joao Félix, Rafael Leao, Pedro Neto, Diogo Jota, Bruno Fernandes and Francisco Conceicao make up a host of attacking options.
They are strong and have Portugal dreaming of regaining the trophy they won in Paris eight years ago, when Ronaldo was injured in the final and was attacked by moths.
There is a happier balance of power but CR7 is at the forefront.
“Ronaldo is relevant again,” says Tom Kundert, author and editor of the English-language Portuguese soccer site Portugoal.net. “After the World Cup, a lot of people thought that was it as far as his career in Portugal was concerned, but he has recovered as always.
“One thing that is different is that for a long time he was the best player, but unlike previous tournaments, in this one there are three, four or five players who are more important.
“Ronaldo is still the captain, the front and center of attention, but he seems to be a little more accepting of the possibility of him not playing 90 minutes in every game. It is again an advantage, not the problem people feared it would be. after the World Cup and once again has everyone’s full support.”
Ronaldo was left on the bench in Qatar but is expected to play a starring role at the Euros.
Saudi Arabia has probably been good for him too. Not just financially, although he pockets a basic salary of £60m a year, supplemented to around £160m by trade deals that promote the kingdom’s charms.
But also what better place to repair a fragile ego than a land where you can live in luxury while doing what you love most, plundering easy goals in a league ranked by Opta as the 26th strongest in the world and posing for photographs.
Then post it all on social media. We already know of its power and influence. Coca-Cola shares plummeted when Ronaldo moved his bottles out of sight before a press conference at Euro 2020 and told everyone to “drink water.”
He is invaluable to the Saudis, who changed the rules to allow his son Cristiano Jr to join Al-Nassr’s academy and tolerated his unseemly habit of berating referees until it all went too far when he withdrew his fist as if out to hit the ball. the man who dared to fire him.
But they have not made an effort to let him win the title. Al-Nassr finished runners-up to Al-Hilal in the Pro-League and were defeated by the same team on penalties in the King’s Cup final. Football is competitive in its own way and no one doubts his commitment to his fitness. Look at it.
Ronaldo collapsed in tears after the cup final in Jeddah. Winning still matters. Being the best is still important. If you inject a little of that into one of the most talented teams in the tournament, Portugal will go far.