Portugal international Pedro Neto has been speaking about the influence of Cristiano Ronaldo on his career, as well as his hopes of playing for his country at the European Championships this summer.
Neto has been in fine form for Wolverhampton Wanderers this season in the Premier League, with his dynamic eye-catching performances resulting in links to England’s major clubs resurfacing ahead of the summer transfer window.
Speaking to the 1 Para 1 podcast this week, Neto admitted he was pleased to have put awful luck with injuries behind him. Should the winger stay fit, most expect Neto will be named in Roberto Martínez’s Seleção squad for Euro 2024 in Germany.
“I was unlucky enough to have the two injuries right before two major tournaments,” Neto recalled. “I’m working with everything, and I really want to represent the Portuguese team.
“Sometimes I have five opponents in front of me and the fans are already going 'Ooooooh', making a huge noise to see if I start running with the ball,” he joked. “And I say: 'Calm down, this time I’ll stay calm'.”
On Ronaldo, who will lead Portugal at the Euros twenty years after making his international tournament breakthrough in Euro 2004 on home soil, Neto said: "When I was a kid I watched his interviews with my parents, with my sisters.
“Just the fact of the way he speaks, the way of being the best, that you always have to think that you are the better because, if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. And I took that very literally. The way he thinks, and the way he works, I think it’s a model to follow. It’s the ultimate model.”
By @SeanGillen9
