Ronaldo’s International Future in Doubt?

After a disappointing World Cup 2022 campaign that saw Portugal crash out in the quarterfinal to Morocco, the Portuguese FA was under pressure to act and decided to fire Euros and Nations League winning manager Fernando Santos. This was followed by the appointment of Roberto Martinez as coach of the national team, tasked with managing the new generation of Portugal wonderkids, led by the veteran Cristiano Ronaldo.

Unlike Santos who decided to start Ronaldo on the bench in back-to-back World Cup knockout games, Martinez saw Ronaldo as an important ingredient in his cuisine and got off to a great start in his managerial role with convincing 4-0 and 3-0 wins over Liechtenstein and Luxembourg respectively in the 2024 Euro qualifiers, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a brace in both games. Ronaldo’s competitive nature doesn’t just end on the pitch, he’s shown this trait in his various off-the-pitch interests, such as his engagement in casino and poker games.

The Portugal team led by Martinez will breeze past all opponents in the qualifiers, scoring a whopping 36 goals in 10 games and conceding just twice. Portugal was the only team in the qualifiers to win 100 percent of their games which included a historic 9-0 win in the return fixture against Luxembourg.

One of the highlights of Portugal’s Euro qualification campaign was the rejuvenation of Cristiano Ronaldo. After a disappointing World Cup performance that saw him score just one goal (from the penalty spot) and subsequently dropped to the bench, the star man went on to bag 10 goals in the qualifiers, becoming Portugal’s top scorer in the competition and only second behind Lukaku in the overall scoring chart. Aside from his national team form, Ronaldo would also go on to have a historic campaign with Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, scoring 35 goals to become the player with the most goals in a single season in the history of the Saudi League.

Everything was going well, Portugal was in great form, and Ronaldo was firing on all cylinders for club and country, ready to light up the European Championship at the grand age of 39. Is it written in the stars? Will Ronaldo cap off his illustrious career with a second European Championship title? Everything was in place for this to happen.

Despite Portugal’s winning streak at the Euro qualifiers, questions were raised about the quality of the teams they defeated so far, with Slovakia (ranked 46) being the only team in the top 50 of the FIFA World Ranking. Many people believed the Euros would be a different ball game entirely but did not take anything away from the quality of the Portuguese team.

The Euros

Portugal started their Euro’s preparation in style, beating Finland 4-2 in a friendly. The team then faced their first tough fixture in over a year when they hosted Croatia in Lisbon. Without Ronaldo in the team, they fell 2-1 to the Croats but bounced back in the next game with Ronaldo returning and bagging a brace to see off Ireland 3-0 in their final match before the start of the Euros.

With Ronaldo in form, team leaders Pepe, Ruben Dias, Cancelo, Silva, and Bruno Fernandes in good shape, and the squad filled with talents such as Nuno Mendes, Diogo Costa, Vitinha, Palhinha, Leao, Felix, Jota, Dalot and a lot more, there were high hopes for this Portuguese team going into the Euros.

The Portuguese team started the tournament rather unconvincingly, needing a comeback in the last minute to beat the Czech Republic 2-1. They went on to beat Turkey 3-0 in the next game, securing qualification into the knockouts as group winners before losing 2-0 to Georgia in their final group game. In the round of 16, they beat Slovenia on penalties after a 0-0 draw in 120 mins, before crashing out in the quarterfinal to France, on penalties, again after playing 0-0 in 120 mins.

The Portuguese dream crashed, and overall, Cristiano Ronaldo had an underwhelming tournament. He failed to stamp his presence in the first group game against the Czech Republic and also missed a big chance. The game against Turkey was slightly better as he got an assist in the 3-0 victory.

With Portugal through to the Round of 16 as table-toppers, Ronaldo was surprisingly in the starting lineup for the final group game against Georgia, a game in which Martinez rested 8 outfield starters. One would think at 39, that was the perfect game to give Ronaldo’s muscles a rest but the talisman insisted on playing. Desperate for a goal, he dropped his worst performance yet in the competition, missing a big chance, registering just one shot on target, getting a yellow card, and being substituted in the 66th minute.

Ronaldo came under criticism for his performance so far, but knowing his legacy of turning up at the most crucial moments, one wouldn’t write him off just yet. In the Round of 16 against Slovenia, he had a frustrating performance, looking desperate for a goal, shooting free kicks from impossible angles, as if that was bad enough, the Real Madrid legend wasted a chance to register his first goal of the tournament by missing a penalty in extra time. This penalty miss brought Ronaldo to tears in what would turn out to be one of the most controversial moments in the tournament. He would go on to score his shootout kick and a heroic performance by Diogo Costa would see Portugal qualify for the quarterfinal where they would face France.

In the quarterfinal against France, Ronaldo was almost nonexistent until he got a big chance set up by Fabio Concenciao in extra time which he skied. He scored his shootout kick once again but was unlucky this time as Joao Felix missed and France scored all five of their spot kicks to knock the Portuguese out of the competition.

In summary, Cristiano Ronaldo had a below-par campaign, failing to score a single goal and registering just one assist. Aside from the numbers, he was not great on the eye test either, struggling to beat his marker or set up quality chances, but that can be excused for a 39-year-old fox in the box who has given a lot to this beautiful sport.

A lot of experts have argued that Ronaldo is dragging the Portuguese team back from reaching its true potential, criticizing the manager for building his team around a 39-year-old over having faith in exciting vibrant talents like Diogo Jota and Gonçalo Ramos. The Portuguese star man always seemed to want to be the center of attraction, always asking for the ball and whining whenever he did not get it in good positions. Crying after missing a penalty mid-game also raised questions as it seemed more like a selfish move rather than one based on his passion for the game.

With all these, is it ideal for Ronaldo to continue in the national team? Will he?

The answer to both questions is a solid YES. Although he had an underwhelming campaign, there is no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo is still a physical beast capable of banging goals for any side even at 39. His movement in the box is still one of the best in the game and his hunger will never elude him. However, the Portuguese team is filled with younger and more agile forwards that need to be incorporated into the starting 11, therefore, it’s best if Ronaldo took more of a supporting role at this point of his career.

“…On and off the pitch, I am sure this legacy will be honoured and will be continued to be built. TOGETHER.”

These are the words of Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal’s Euro 2024 exit, hinting that he is not ready to retire yet. This makes sense because retiring after such a disappointing campaign might be a stain on his legacy as it is better to retire on a high either individually or collectively. Also, the UEFA Nations League starts in September and Ronaldo will have another chance to close out his international career on a high.

The 2026 World Cup to be held in North America will kick off in June 2026, at a time when Cristiano Ronaldo will be 41 years old. Although the legend has not yet officially stated he won’t be playing in that tournament, it is unlikely he will participate. However, given Ronaldo’s characteristics of being hungry for success, it should not come as a surprise if he is part of the squad for the tournament, even if it means he takes up the dreaded “secondary role”.

Whatever the situation will be regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s future, his legacy in the sport is secure and is unlikely to be repeated. He’s won 5 UEFA Champions League titles, 2 titles with Portugal, 7 league championships, 4 European Golden Shoes, 5 Ballon d’Ors, and is the player with the most goals scored in football history with 895 strikes. He can retire today to pursue his other interests off the pitch and will still be regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time. As fans, we can only watch and wait and hope we witness a few more magic from him before hanging up his boots.