MANCHESTER, England: Less than a year after Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career seemed to be winding down, the football icon is on the verge of propelling Portugal to yet another major soccer tournament.
The five-time Champions League winner’s future was uncertain when he parted ways with Manchester United in November and subsequently faced exclusion from his national team following an early exit from the World Cup in Qatar.
Opting to join Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo’s move was met with scepticism regarding the potential for success. However, he has emphatically demonstrated that his football journey is far from over. This Friday, Portugal has the opportunity to secure their place at the upcoming European Championship in Germany.
For Ronaldo, this would mark a personal triumph, affirming his steadfast belief that his career still held significant chapters after leaving European club soccer behind. Not only has he inspired a host of soccer’s eminent figures, including Neymar and Karim Benzema, to join him in the Saudi league, but he has also played a pivotal role in propelling Portugal to its finest-ever performance in a European qualifying campaign, boasting an impressive record of six wins from six matches in Group J.
A victory against Slovakia on Friday would guarantee Portugal’s qualification and, if Ronaldo is selected, offer him a shot at reliving the triumph he secured with Portugal in 2016 during the tournament.
In addition to Ronaldo’s resurgence, the narrative has also taken a positive turn for Portugal’s coach, Roberto Martinez. Departing from his role as Belgium’s coach at the end of his contract post the World Cup group stage exit, Martinez had faced criticism for not fully capitalizing on Belgium’s golden generation that included the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku. Despite guiding the team to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and achieving the No. 1 spot in the FIFA rankings for four years, he faced scepticism from the Portuguese fans, with 75% of respondents in a newspaper poll expressing disapproval of his appointment.
However, Martinez stands on the verge of securing another chance to deliver the major trophy he had pursued but couldn’t clinch for Belgium. The tide seems to have turned for both Cristiano Ronaldo and Roberto Martinez, promising an exciting and potentially triumphant journey for Portugal in the upcoming European Championship.
