Cristiano Ronaldo will participate in the Euro for a record sixth time, which will probably be the last chance to win another title of European champion. Unlike other national teams, Roberto Martinez immediately announced the list of 26 names that will appear at the Euro in Germany, and it is interesting that Cristiano Ronaldo is not the oldest on that list.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe as leaders
Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t been playing at the top level for the last two seasons since he moved to Saudi Arabia, but he will be one of the team’s leaders at this Euro as well. This will almost certainly be his last chance to win the Euro for the second time because he will be 43 years old at the time of the next Euro. Cristiano Ronaldo has played in two Euro finals so far.
On the home field in 2004, he and his friends reached the final, but Greece made one of the biggest sensations at the Euro and won the title. At Euro 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo won his first trophy with Portugal, but unfortunately in the final against France, he suffered a serious injury that forced him to leave the field in the first half. This Euro and the World Cup in two years will be the last chance for him to win another trophy with Portugal because he is very soon entering his fifth decade of life.
Cristiano Ronaldo is not the only one who, despite his late years, still did not give up on winning another trophy with the national team. The oldest player of Portugal at the upcoming Euro will actually be Pepe, who is 41 years old. He last few appearances in his homeland for Porto, where he once played the games that launched him on the big stage, and where he will almost certainly finish his career. Despite entering his fifth decade of life, because he always burns on the pitch, Roberto Martínez holds him in high esteem.
“Pepe’s role in the national team is important because of the way he represents the national team. Football is a constant struggle, and it was interesting to watch Pepe during two games in March where the net remained calm. When he is ready, he is very important for us because of the way he communicates and positions himself”.
In addition to Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe, the leaders of this national team will be Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao, and young forces are also present. Martinez included Antonio Silva, Nuno Mendes, Goncalo Ramos on the list, and there is the only member of the champion Sporting from Lisbon, Goncalo Inacio.
The Porto player, Francisco Conceicao, who was rewarded for his excellent games in the second part of the season, also received an invitation from the young player. Rafael Guerreiro, Matheus Nunes, Pedro Goncalves, Francisco Trincao were not on the list. Martinez was most hesitant about the Brago player, Ricardo Horta, who in the end was not on the list.
“I don’t like to talk about specific names, but I think we should talk about a player who is difficult to leave out, and that is Ricardo Horta. Technically and tactically, he is a coach’s dream. But there are other players that we need for what we want to do against the Czech Republic, Turkey and Georgia. He did everything to get on the list. We like tactical flexibility, we have experienced players and I think this mix of players is perfect”
As in the previous competitions, Portugal has put together a very strong national team and currently the bookmakers consider this national team to be the fourth favorite at UEFA Euro 2024. Portugal has not really made a name for itself in the last few competitions after becoming European champions in 2016. This tournament will be a farewell waltz for Cristiano Ronaldo, and if the best scorer in Euro history really dances on the field like in the best days in Germany, Portugal could be competitive for the highest goals.
First, Cristiano Ronaldo and his team will have to overcome the group stage in which they will compete against Turkey, the Czech Republic and Georgia. At first glance, this seems like an easy group for Portugal, but if we remember Euro 2016 and then this national team had a relatively easy group, but with a lot of trouble they made it to the next round and eventually conquered Europe.
Portugal played great qualifiers, they won all of them with an unreal goal difference, but if you consider that Slovakia and Luxembourg were the most serious rivals, then that speaks volumes about the competition that Portugal had in that group. Turkey had a good qualification, finishing ahead of Croatia. The Czech Republic waited until the last round to qualify, while Georgia will make its debut in this tournament after being better than Greece in the playoffs in the final. In his last appearance at the Euro, Cristiano Ronaldo and his colleagues will try to delight the nation and enrich his career with another trophy.
