If there is one football player that people should know not to doubt, it’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite his advancing years and being exiled to Saudi Arabia, he has proven repeatedly that he is able to deliver the goods when it matters the most. He proved it as recently as June 20th, when he was able to find a last-minute winner in Reykjavík to secure a 1-0 victory over Iceland and ensure that Portugal clung on to their perfect record in the ongoing qualifying campaign for next summer’s European Championships.
The immortal CR7 has come in for plenty of criticism over the last 12 months. Despite being the brightest spark in an otherwise uninspiring Manchester United team throughout the 2021/22 campaign, he still found his playing time under new manager Erik Ten Hag reduced drastically. Then, when his nemesis Lionel Messi was climbing his final peak and leading Argentina to a first FIFA World Cup trophy in 36 years, Ronaldo was busy making headlines for his earth-shattering interview with Piers Morgan and subsequent release from the Red Devils.
Since then, the former Juventus man has quietly gone about his business in the Arabian Gulf, collecting a whopping pay packet of a reported $220m per year in the process. But while the world is looking on at him as a declining star, he is ensuring that he is in the optimum shape for one last shot at stardom. That will come when he leads his nation out at UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany next summer.
Ronaldo has provided us with some of the best Champions League moments over the years. He led Real Madrid to the famous ‘Big-Eared’ trophy four times in five years throughout the mid-2010s, including that historic three-peat. And while he may never get another opportunity to feature in European club football’s most prestigious tournament, he will have one final opportunity to secure European silverware, but for his country rather than his club.
Portugal’s rivals
As mentioned, Portugal still has a perfect record in the current qualifying campaign, a claim that only three other nations can stake. The first of them is France. Les Bleus are the favorites for glory next summer, and after reaching the last two FIFA World Cup finals in a row, it’s clear to see why.
With Kylian Mbappé leading the line, the sky truly is the limit for Didier Deschamps’ side. His new captain netted a scintillating hat-trick in that World Cup final defeat to Argentina back in December. He single-handedly dragged his nation back into that Lusail showpiece, and both he and his legion of supporters will be hoping that he can replicate his exploits next summer.
Beaten Euro 2020 finalists England also have a perfect record. They managed to avenge their heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat against Italy with a 2-1 victory in Naples back in March courtesy of goals from Harry Kane and Declan Rice. Further victories have followed against Ukraine, Malta, and a 7-0 drubbing of North Macedonia at Old Trafford, and the Three Lions will be aiming to end their 58 years of hurt in the home of one of their rivals next July.
You will be surprised to hear that the final nation with a perfect record in qualifying thus far is Scotland. The Tartan Army has had several stunning results thus far, including a 2-0 victory over two-time champions Spain at Hampden Park. They also defeated Norway in Oslo by two goals to one, with Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean netting in minutes 87 and 89 to secure a stunning come-from-behind victory.
Channeling the heroes of 2016
Without a doubt, the highlight of Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career, and perhaps his career as a whole, was helping Portugal become European Champions in 2016. As was the case with Messi, many said that neither player could be considered the greatest of all time until they lead their respective nations to international glory. And that’s exactly what CR7 did in the summer of 2016, although to start with it looked like the campaign would be anything but successful.
Throughout the group stages, the Seleção didn’t win a single game. Three draws against Hungary, Iceland, and Austria meant that they finished third in their group, and had it not been for the tournament being expanded from 16 to 24 teams that year, they would have been eliminated. But fortunately for Fernando Santos’ men, they took full advantage of the expansion.
Ricardo Quaresma’s 117th-minute winner secured victory over Croatia in the last sixteen, setting up a quarterfinal against Poland. There, Ronaldo and Co. would have to hold their nerve, eventually triumphing via the dreaded penalty shootout. A 2-0 victory over underdogs Wales in the semifinals was Portugal’s first win inside 90 minutes throughout the whole tournament, which set up a finale against hosts and favorites France.
When captain Ronaldo was forced away from the action in the first half following an injury, he would take on the role of assistant manager. He was barking instructions and motivational speeches to his teammates throughout the rest of the action and it paid dividends when Eder’s extra-time thunderbolt secured the victory and a first major international trophy in the history of Portuguese football. Ronaldo and his teammates will be hoping to repeat the feat next summer, and if current form is anything to go by, there is every chance punters will be rewarded if they back them.
