Cristiano Ronaldo insists Euro 2024 is “just one chapter” of his illustrious career. But at 39, his story is undoubtedly coming to an end and he will do everything he can to ensure it ends on a dream note.
Although Ronaldo has not ruled out participating in the 2026 World Cup, this could be his last major tournament when he turns 41. And a farewell like his long-time rival Lionel Messi would be the perfect farewell.
Messi captained Argentina to the World Cup title at the end of what was a disastrous tournament for Ronaldo in Qatar.
After his departure from Manchester United was confirmed beforehand, he was without a club and lost his place in the Portuguese team. The team was eventually eliminated by Morocco in the quarter-finals, when Ronaldo left the team in tears.
Ronaldo’s preparation went better this time, as he has already scored 35 goals in the Saudi Pro League this season.
Only Romelu Lukaku scored more goals in European Championship qualifying and Ronaldo scored twice in Portugal’s final warm-up match against Ireland last week.
The highly-rated Portuguese play their match against the Czech Republic on Tuesday evening and Ronaldo will make history by becoming the first player to play in a sixth European Championship.
“I’m really happy about it because it shows how long my career will last,” he said. “However, it is only one chapter in Cristiano Ronaldo’s achievements in football.”
“I think I’m a complete player, but there are always things I can perfect. And with age, there are things we haven’t been so good at in the past and we start to lose some skills, so it’s important to try to adapt.
“That’s the key word. If a player wants to last a long time, he has to have a high level of adaptability and the characteristics for that adaptability. That’s what I tried to do.”
Portugal, the 2016 European champions, won all ten qualifying matches under Roberto Martinez, scoring 36 goals and conceding just two.
Martinez flew to Saudi Arabia shortly after his recruitment following the World Cup and has built a good relationship with Ronaldo, who plays as a number 9 and benefits from the abundance of creative talent around him.
Ronaldo may be the star, but the Portuguese team is full of talent – and the challenge for Martinez will be to get the best out of Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix.
There are only a few teams in Germany with such a large squad as the Portuguese, who also have a good mix of experience and youth.
Ronaldo is not even the oldest player in the squad. The defense is led by 41-year-old center-back Pepe.
Players like 19-year-old Benfica midfielder Joao Neves, who is in line for a high-profile transfer to a top European club in the summer, contribute to a successful mix.
“I hope this national team wins because they are an incredibly talented squad,” Ronaldo said. “However, as we all know, talent alone is not enough to win. To win a major tournament like this, you have to consider many things.”
“We have all the ingredients to win, but we will take it step by step, game by game, always believing that we can win. What we achieved in 2016 was historic, both in Portuguese football and in world football.”
“Now our feet are firmly on the ground, but our thoughts are directed upwards and we see that it is possible to win the European Championship.”
