When Portugal went out of Euro 2024 on penalties last summer, everyone presumed that would be the last we’d see of Cristiano Ronaldo in green and red. Aged 39, he’d scored 130 goals for a Portugal side he’d served with distinction at five previous major tournaments but last year’s jamboree in Germany seemd a step too far. A starter in each of his nation’s five matches, he finished all but one of them, took 29 shots on goal without scoring and despite beinga preening, narcissistic passengerwas kept on the pitch for the entirety of Portugal’s quarter-final stalemate against France. Meanwhile on the subs’ bench, the likes of Diogo Jota, Gonçalo Ramos and Pedro Neto looked on wistfully, powerless to have any impact due to manager Roberto Martínez’s refusal to withdraw his talisman from the field of play. In the various postmortems that followed Portugal’s exit, it was widely accepted that the time had come for the Martínez to sling his hook and for Ronaldo to retire, so a new generation of Portuguese talent could go about their business unencumbered by the shadow cast by his almost supernaturally monstrous ego.
That being the case, it seems quite a few people in high places didn’t get the memo. On Wednesday night a Portugal team selected by Martínez and featuring Ronaldo beat Germanyin the semi-final of the Nations League. What’s more, it was his lordship who stroked home the winning goal from a Nuno Mendes cross as his side came from behind to earn their place in Sunday’s final against France or Spain. “Onwards, Portugal!” parped Ronaldo after the victory, prompting his many fanboys to cite his tap-in as vindication for his inclusion in a squad that anyone with functioning eyes can see he should not be in. We’ll get to his short-term future presently, but the long-term plans of this self-absorbed diva seem abundantly clear; Cristiano Ronaldo wants to play in the World Cup as a 41-year-old and, with Martínez in charge, is almost certain to be indulged again despite the damage his presence will almost certainly cause the Portugal team.
For now, however, Ronaldo’s immediate future remains up in the air, but with Gianni Infantino having created a transfer window with what seems like the specific intention of engineering his presence at the Club World Cup despite his club Al-Nassr’sfailure to qualify, it would be foolish of the player not to avail of it. Last week, Ronaldo posted a come-and-get-me plea on social media disgraces that could scarcely have been more clear, despite being widely reported as a “cryptic message” by outlets who remain in awe of his every utterance, however banal. “This chapter is over,” he chirped, following the latest in an ongoing list of failures to win anything with the Saudi club. “The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.” One suspects he and Infantino would be particularly grateful to any participating club prepared to crowbar him into their lineup before an ill-advised vanity project that’s struggling to shift tickets. But for now, the man who fired so many blanks at Euro 2024 remains a gun for hire.
Join Rob Smyth from 8pm BST for hot Nations League semi-final updates from Spain 2-1 France.
“People are probably quite confused and think I have disappeared. Everyone forgets about you” –Joe Morrell gets his chat on with Ben Fisher, with the Wales midfielder now ready for a return to action after 16 long months stuck on the sidelines.
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