Will Ronaldo play in Portugal's opening match at EURO 2024?

"The Portuguese team has a talented squad, with strikers Rafael Leao, Diogo Jota, Joao Felix, Bernardo Silva and Goncalo Ramos all hoping to secure a starting spot. However, for many reasons, coach Roberto Martinez will still choose Ronaldo as the top priority, despite the player being 39 years old," AS newspaper commented.

Ronaldo is very focused before the opening match at EURO 2024

Portugal will play their opening match in Group F of EURO 2024 against the tough Czech Republic, while the remaining match between Turkey and Georgia will be at 11pm on June 18.

Ronaldo has not played in Europe for more than a year, this famous player currently plays for Al Nassr Club in Saudi Arabia. However, Ronaldo still maintains the ability to score regularly when he is the top scorer of the Saudi Pro League with 35 goals in the 2023 - 2024 season. In total, this famous player scored 44 goals and had 13 assists in 45 matches last season.

"This scoring record is the convincing factor for coach Roberto Martinez to still choose Ronaldo to play in the official squad, despite having many stars playing for famous clubs in Europe. Moreover, in the most recent match when he returned to play for the Portuguese national team, Ronaldo scored a double in the 3-0 win over Ireland," AS expressed.

These goals helped Ronaldo increase his international scoring record to 130 goals, 22 more than Messi and Ali Daei (retired). Messi and former Iranian player Ali Daei both have 108 goals in international matches.

Aware of his age, Ronaldo still believes he has the ability to contribute to the team's success. In the EURO 2024 qualifiers, this famous player contributed 10 goals in 9 matches for the Portuguese team.

Ronaldo received absolute trust from his teammates

"Year after year, we always try to improve certain things. There is always room for improvement. I think I am a complete player, but there are always things I still need to improve. The issue of age is a reality, there are some abilities that will be lost, so I have to try to adapt," Ronaldo shared.

"It's not by chance that I've played at the highest level for 20 years and to maintain that level is very difficult. With a lot of dedication and hard work, I've been able to achieve those numbers. I'm also aware that if a player wants to have longevity, they need to have strong adaptability and the characteristics to adapt. That's what I've tried to do," Ronaldo emphasized.

With his high concentration and awareness, always strong, Ronaldo has received absolute trust from his teammates. Therefore, the possibility of Ronaldo playing from the start in the opening match of EURO 2024 is very high to lead his teammates towards another glory, after the championship in 2016.

Ronaldo is expected to play in the Portuguese national team's attack alongside strikers Rafael Leao and Bernardo Silva, while Diogo Jota and Joao Felix will be on the bench, according to AS .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ronaldo-se-thi-dau-tran-ra-quan-tai-euro-2024-185240618113354105.htm