On Friday night, the stage is set for a big European Championship match, as Portugal and France compete for a place in the semi-finals. The French team is led by captain Kylian Mbappe, a huge fan of Portugal captain and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
While the former had a somewhat turbulent tournament with a broken nose and little reward, it was much more difficult for the idol. With an entire nation on his shoulders, the veteran made one miss after another, including a missed penalty against Slovenia.
“Everyone” expected Ronaldo to make it from the chalk mark in extra time in the last 16, but unusually, the 39-year-old took the opportunity to become the hero. Instead, Ronaldo burst into tears during the break between extra periods.
Since then, criticism has poured in on the Portuguese football icon. For many, the tears were the icing on the cake, while others questioned why Ronaldo was allowed to play at all.
ESPN's renowned football expert and writer Mark Ogden is among those who have criticised Ronaldo. During the round of 16, he thought Ronaldo's display had become ridiculous. Now Ogden writes: Espen Ronaldo should be on the bench against France.
– A seat for him. His performance against Slovenia in the round of 16 was an embarrassment to a great footballing nation. He was so favoured that he could take all the free kicks, missed the penalty, and still played the whole game despite being more of a hindrance than a help.
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Feedback: – A little violent
Øyvind Alsaker was a football commentator for a number of years and covered the European Football Championship for TV2. It is believed that this was the European Championship where Ronaldo envisioned becoming the all-time top scorer and the only one to score in six different tournaments.
“There was a barrage of criticism, and I think something was a bit violent. Those tears are real, it's not a game. So I think it was a bit inappropriate to treat him so harshly because he was upset,” Alsaker tells Nettavisen.
– Yes, he is the captain and he will bring others with him, and others had to lift him up, but they got the job done and moved on. He has always had narcissistic qualities, and that is Ronaldo for better or worse.
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Saker points out that Ronaldo is the captain and has started every game so far during the tournament. He believes there is a reason why Roberto Martinez brought the 39-year-old to Germany and used him as a striker. At the same time, it is not certain that everything is fine.
– The only thing we don't know is how things are going in the dressing room and how the other players see him. From the outside, there is no sign of a split. Then people like him will be subject to criticism. I believe in him and I hope he plays.
– Then he gets angry and sad
In the European Championship qualifiers, Ronaldo scored ten goals in nine matches. Only the Belgian Romelu Lukaku has scored more goals than the Portuguese. In addition, Ronaldo holds a number of records in the European Championship, but Friday night may be his last chance to get more.
So far during the European Football Championship in Germany, Ronaldo has not scored a single goal. Earlier in the tournament, Luka Modric became the all-time top scorer in the European Championship, but Ronaldo has the age to overtake him. Ronaldo is the only player to have scored in five European Championships, but he can improve his record in another tournament.
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Attention-grabbing behavior: – Headache
If Portugal go out to France on Friday night and Ronaldo doesn't end up on the scoresheet, it's not hard to imagine Ronaldo feeling emotional. At 39, it's not unlikely that this could be his last appearance on the “big stage.”
– Then he gets angry and upset, we know that. And we will certainly share these feelings, as happened in the match against Slovenia. This was, of course, an EC where he imagined it would become historic. Saker thinks he was very close to missing penalties and chances, and of course he will not be happy.
But whether Ronaldo will be allowed to start the match at all has been a matter of much debate recently, and Saker believes the veteran will be in the starting line-up against the French star.
– I think he will start. He has been the striker all tournament. So, yeah, it would be strange if he was on the bench now. Of course, he has had a few days of harsh criticism, but I think someone like Ronaldo can handle that kind of thing. That could make him more dangerous.
The Portugal-Germany match will take place at 21:00 and will be shown on NRK.
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