Roy Keane and Garry Neville have given their feedback on Cristiano Ronaldo, as he has played Euro 2024 as Portugal captain.
What really happened with Ronaldo?
In this Euro 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo represented the Portugal national team as a captain, but his performances were not up to par. In the entire tournament, he didn’t score any goals. He only provided a single assist to Bruno Fernandes.
These statistics show how Ronaldo’s standards have declined. He used to be the top scorer in these types of European tournaments, but now he is struggling to score goals. There are several reasons for this incident.
One reason could be his age. Ronaldo is on the verge of 40. He will be 41 years old by the time the next World Cup arrives. On top of that, the Portuguese show frustation by attempting inappropriate fouls. The referee has given him a yellow card for this act.
In the past, Ronaldo used to be a proficient goal scorer. He only focused on scoring goals, not fouling opponent players. So, there is a huge shift in his mentality.
Does Ronaldo fit into the Portugal squad?
At this moment, the Portugal squad is filled with talented players like Bernardo Silva, Jao Felix, Jao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, and many more. In the game against Turkey, the entire Portugal team was playing possession-based, fluent football.
Jao Cancelo and Nuno Mendes were delivering one-after-another cross from both flanks, but Ronaldo was missing those goal-scoring chances. These missed opportunities have also frustrated the fans.
During the game, one Portugal fan was holding a placard that displayed that they support the Portugal team but not 41-year-old Ronaldo.
These small incidents show that Ronaldo is not fitting into this current Portugal squad. He struggles most of the time. Several football pundits, like Gary Neville and Roy Keane, have also said the same thing about Ronaldo.
Neville and Keane criticize Ronaldo’s performances
According to United In Focus former United player Roy Keane said, “He [Cristiano Ronaldo] should have a break and step back from international football, and if he’s still playing at club level, then have a look at the World Cup when it comes around.”
Former England and United right back Gary Neville said, “This dynamic of unbelievable desire, self-fight, determination – all those things that you love about him [Ronaldo] – how overbearing is it for the rest of the players and the manager and the country?“
Both Gary Neville and Roy Keane have criticized their old Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. They have some logical reasons behind their statements. The entire football community is telling the same thing on Ronaldo.
If the Portuguese keep on going like this, it may cost Portugal some more major trophies.
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