Portugal According to Czech Republic legend Patrick Berger, Cristiano Ronaldo's starting position will be the weak point of the Portuguese team at Euro 2024.
Portugal will open Group F against the Czech Republic, Berger's hometown team, on June 18. The former midfielder, who reached the final of Euro 1996, told BoyleSports on April 5: "If Cristiano Ronaldo starts against the Czech Republic at Euro 2024, I will be very happy. Portugal have a great team and can win the tournament even without Ronaldo in the starting lineup. They have a much better chance if he doesn't start. If he is on the bench, I will be more worried about the Czech Republic."
Berger believes that Portugal should have started Ronaldo on the bench for every match at the 2022 World Cup. He asserts that if they had done that, Portugal could have reached the final and competed for the championship with Argentina.
Ronaldo played in a friendly match where Portugal lost 0-2 to Slovenia on March 26 in Slovenia. Photo: AP
At the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo started all three group stage matches, but only scored one goal from the penalty spot. He then only entered the field from the 74th minute of the 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16 and from the 51st minute of the 0-1 loss to Morocco in the quarterfinals.
According to Berger, Ronaldo's best time for Portugal is the last 25 minutes. He argues that CR7 always has a chance so playing less will not affect the team much. "It would have been better for Portugal if Ronaldo had been on the bench two years ago in Qatar, but with egos and things like that, it's hard to leave him out," Berger added. "His age is a factor, even if he is one of the best players of all time."
Ronaldo holds the record of 128 goals in 206 international matches. The 39-year-old striker has also scored 42 goals in 41 matches for Al Nassr in the 2023-2024 season, including two hat-tricks in the last two matches.
In 2016, Ronaldo scored two goals in the group stage and one in the semi-finals of Euro. He had to leave the field in the 25th minute of the final due to injury, but Portugal still beat hosts France 1-0 thanks to a goal from substitute striker Eder in the 109th minute.
In addition to the Czech Republic, Portugal will also face Türkiye and Georgia in Group F of Euro 2024. The tournament will feature 24 teams divided into six groups. The top two teams in each group and the four best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16.
Thanh Quy (according to BoyleSports )
Source link
Comment (0)