Defeat for Portugal at the European Championship on Friday likely brought down the curtain on the extraordinary international career of Cristiano Ronaldo.
While Portugal’s totemic forward has made no pronouncements on his future with the national team, the 39-year-old struggled to revive former glories at the tournament in Germany and departed Euro 2024 without scoring apart from in shootouts.
Portugal lost 5-3 to France on penalties in their quarter-final after a goalless stalemate in which Ronaldo missed a glaring chance in extra time but converted one of the kicks in the shootout.
“It’s too soon and raw after the match to talk about that and there have been no individual decisions made,” coach Roberto Martinez said when asked if it had been Ronaldo’s last game in a Portugal jersey.
There will forever be debates about where he sits among the greatest footballers — in or behind the exulted company of three-times World Cup winner Pele or the extraordinary talent of Diego Maradona or long-time rival Lionel Messi.
All of them won the World Cup, which Ronaldo has not, but in terms of statistics in national team colours the 39-year-old is out there on his own.
Friday’s loss to France at the Volksparkstadion was Ronaldo’s 212th cap, significantly ahead of Messi who won his 185th for Argentina against Ecuador in the Copa America on Thursday.
Ronaldo’s 130 goals for his country is also way out on its own at the head of most scored in international football, with Messi recently moving second on the list with 108.
“Cristiano is in the national team of Portugal because he deserves to be,” Martinez had said earlier in the tournament.
In terms of longevity few can match Ronaldo, who debuted for Portugal in 2003.
He was 18 years-old when he came on at halftime to replace Luis Figo in a friendly against Kazakhstan in front of roughly 8,000 in Chaves. Days earlier he had signed for Manchester United, convincing manager Alex Ferguson of his potential after tormenting the team’s defence in a pre-season friendly.
By the next year he was a regular for Portugal as they hosted Euro 2004, upset in the final by Greece.
He is the first to play at six European Championships and his 14 goals in 30 matches is also a Euros record. He won the trophy in 2016 when Portugal beat hosts France in the final.
RONALDO’S TEARS
Ironically, in Portugal’s Euros triumph Ronaldo went off early in the decider in Paris in tears with a knee injury.
If you add in his goals in Euro qualifying, Ronaldo has scored 55 times in the competition, with Harry Kane next on 29.
At the World Cup, Ronaldo has played 22 times, scoring eight goals, in five tournaments, while Messi has played four times more and has the appearance record.
In the 21 years Ronaldo has played for Portugal, they have not missed out on qualifying for the World Cup, with a semi-final place in 2006 their best return. That year, Ronaldo netted the decisive penalty to beat England in the quarter-finals.
It has been an extraordinary career, highlighted by five Ballon d’Or awards, and it is not over yet … certainly not at club level. Ronaldo top-scored with 35 goals in the Saudi league last season and has another year’s contract at Al Nassr.
CR7’s International Career –
EARLY DAYS
- Born Feb. 5, 1985 in Funchal, Madeira.
- Represented Portugal in youth football since 2001.
- Made his senior team debut in 2003, aged 18.
- Played for Portugal in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens at the age of 19.
- Played youth club football at Nacional before joining Sporting in 2002.
Portugal Days
- Ronaldo has represented Portugal in six European Championship and four World Cup tournaments.
- Ronaldo holds the all-time record for most international goals with 130 for Portugal and is the country’s most-capped player with 212 appearances.
- At the 2004 and 2016 European Championships, he helped Portugal reach the final and won the tournament in 2016.
- Ronaldo made his World Cup debut in 2006 aged 21, scoring his first World Cup goal in a game against Iran.
- Portugal reached the 2006 World Cup semi-finals, which is their best performance at the tournament in Ronaldo’s career.
- In 2018 Ronaldo became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match.
- He led Portugal to victory in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019.
- In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar Ronaldo became the first and only male player to score in five consecutive editions of the tournament with a total of eight goals.
EURO MILESTONES
- Ronaldo marked his European Championship debut against Greece in June 2004 with a goal.
- His overall total of 14 goals is the most at the Euros. France great Michel Platini is in second place with nine.
- Ronaldo was top scorer at the 2012 and 2020 Euros and won the Silver Boot in 2016.
- Having played in every Euros since 2004, Ronaldo holds the record for most tournament appearances and is the only player to score at five in a row. Portugal’s Pepe and Croatia’s Luka Modric are joint-second with five tournament appearances.
- Ronaldo has played 30 matches at the Euros, the most of any player. Portugal team mate Pepe is second with 23.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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