“This is definitely my last Euro but making people happy is what motivates me the most. The fact that this is my last Euro doesn’t make me emotional. It’s more the feeling of joy I get when I see my fans, my family and the affection they have for me.”. This is what Cristiano Ronaldo said a few minutes following his team’s qualification once morest Slovenia. Once once more starting once morest the French team, during the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, the Al-Nassr striker nevertheless delivered a copy that was to say the least indigestible, far from the emotions so sought by the player concerned. Invisible at the forefront of the Portuguese attack and generally deprived of balls, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner never really weighed in this clash lost at the end of the night, at the end of a penalty shootout perfectly managed by the Blues (0-0, 5-3 tab).
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CR7 was just a shadow of himself…
A cataclysmic performance that ultimately symbolised the starving performance of the former Madrid player across the Rhine. With nine lost balls, one small shot on target in three attempts, four duels won out of ten played and no difference made, CR7 will have, thus, spent a nightmarish evening, sadly confirming the weight of the years. Far from his best hours, the former Manchester United and Juventus Turin striker, credited with a 4 by the FM editorial team, was above all distinguished by his helplessness and technical clumsiness. Perfectly caught by the French central hinge and imprecise when the opportunity presented itself (93rd), the Portuguese international (212 caps, 130 goals) will ultimately have had as his only consolation prize this penalty converted once morest Mike Maignan. However, not enough to hope to continue the German adventure.
Read Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo breaks his silence
“The team’s performance was up from previous games, but the captain didn’t follow through. He failed to connect with his teammates or impose his presence in the box. On the only chance he had, created by Francisco Conceição, he shot into the clouds. He bids farewell to the Europeans without having scored, but leaves behind a legacy that will take time to be forgotten.”summarizes on his side And she wasgiving the Portuguese a score of 5. With his head down, the Funchal native officially left the competition without leaving an unforgettable memory for the Portuguese people. And the numbers confirm the visual impression…
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The first player in history to reach the milestone of 30 matches played at the Euro, the Portuguese never found the back of the net during this epic. Present in Roberto Martinez’s eleven once morest the Czech Republic, Turkey, Georgia, Slovenia and therefore the Blues, the 1m88 right-hander was, in fact, silent for 486 minutes. An eternity and a great first for the one who was playing his sixth and, most certainly, last Euro. A terrible failure for the new darling of Saudi football. Present at the microphone of SportTV After the match, his coach did not want to overwhelm his players, including his captain.
Should the Portuguese legend definitely say stop?
“After the game, the dressing room was full of emotion. What Pepe did, the captain (Cristiano Ronaldo, editor’s note)… Our players will grow a lot from this experience. The personality, the chances, the way we created danger in the final third. It was a performance that makes us look to the future with great pride.”assured the 50-year-old Spaniard in remarks relayed by Record. Relaunched on the long embrace between CR7 and Pepe at the end of this shock, Rúben Neves also had complimentary remarks regarding the two Portuguese legends. “The Cristiano and Pepe moment? We all know that they are two great references in our country and in our football. I think they deserved to come away with a victory. We tried everything. Above all, thank them for the example they are, not only on the pitch but for those who live with them in the training camps.”he confided on Channel 11.
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“The hug means a lot… This is not the time because it is very painful and then we will talk regarding it. I will have time to talk regarding my future, we have to go through this great pain, we had the ability to win the race, and now we have to raise our heads”Pepe admitted on his side «SportTV». If sadness took precedence over all other considerations on Friday evening, there is no doubt that CR7’s future will quickly be (re)discussed on Portuguese soil. “Age is a grace that must be earned, not a burden that crushes us.”recalled Jacques de Bourbon-Busset and, today, it is clear that the 39 years of the Portuguese genius have become a crushing weight. In football, you sometimes have to resign yourself to saying goodbye to idols and this hour – as tragic as it is dreaded – has perhaps come for the Portuguese legend.
Pub. on 06/07/2024 09:51 MAJ on 07/07/2024 10:55