Cristiano Ronaldo is set to represent Portugal for the sixth time in the European Championship, having made his debut in 2004.
Portugal headcoach Roberto Martinez announced his squad ahead of the tournament and it’s no surprise Ronaldo was included, despite yearnings that he should be left out.
“For me, Portugal are actually one of the contenders for this summer’s European Championships,’ “I actually think they can win the Euros, but only if Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t play. You cannot take away anything that Ronaldo has done for football just because he has gone to retire in the Saudi League.
“I want to thank him for taking the sport to another level, but there is an end for everyone. He has every right to play in Saudi Arabia, although I’m not sure he needed even more money,” Leboeuf said, as per the Daily Mail.
Sports Buddy in this article will be looking at justifications for Cristiano Ronaldo’s inclusion in Portugal’s Euro 2024 squad.
Why was Cristiano Ronaldo included in Martinez’s Euro squad?
Impressive goal-scoring stats with clubside
According to Transfer Market, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a whopping 42 goals in 43 games while providing 13 assists this season for Al Nassr, a record not bettered by many players this season.
Even at 39, the Portugal captain still pulls off these massive numbers. Ronaldo’s goal-scoring ability has never been an attribute obscure to many, as the former Manchester United forward keeps breaking different goal scoring records.
Many might argue about the league’s quality; however, we’ve seen many top attackers, who moved to the Saudi Pro League fail to deliver on Cristiano Ronaldo’s level. This goes to show it is more of Ronaldo’s ability than the league quality.
With this return, it will be criminal for any manager to leave out the a player with such impressive statistics.
Ronaldo remains one the world’s most prolific goal scorers, and his poise and experience in front of goal are great asset in any competition, hence, the reason for his inclusion.
Euro 2024 qualifiers goal contributions
Cristiano Ronaldo emereged as the second highest goal scorer in Euro 2024 qualifiers, with 10 goals, second only to Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku (14). His impressive goal contribution helped Portugal to a dominant ‘top of the group’ finish in the qualifiers, leading them to this tournament. This shows that the former Real Madrid forward delivers when it counts. His 128 goals for Portugal, makes him the all-time leading goal scorer in international football. These numbers look too good to be overlooked by any coach, hence the need for his inclusion.
Leadership and experience
Ronaldo has a track record of leading the squad on the field, and his participation in important international competitions may be very helpful in mentoring younger players and inspiring the group through in this competition.
