Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in Portugal’s squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier by the newly appointed manager Roberto Martinez.
This month, Portugal will play their first international match after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar when they will face Luxembourg and Liechtenstein as part of their journey toward the European Championship.
Ronaldo, the 38 year old Portugal International has been included in Portugal’s team for the upcoming matches after Martinez reportedly met with the 5 times Ballon d’Or winner to discuss his future involvement, despite being previously embarrassed about his international fate.
Martinez has recently taken over as Portugal’s manager, and these matches will be his first in charge. They lost in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup, and Fernando Santos stepped down as coach after that.
The 38-year-old Portuguese just signed a massive contract with Al-Nassr. European fans will have more chances to witness the superstar in the future thanks to his international calling.
Ronaldo has been called upon by his country’s national team 196 times, which is tied for the most by any male football player. There will be more chances for him to add to his 118 goals scored while wearing the Portugal jersey this month, even though he turned 38 last month.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is a highly devoted player,” Martinez told the press. “He is a key member of the team who can offer valuable experience to the table. When it comes to people, I don’t care about their age.”
Despite Ronaldo’s efforts, Portugal’s World Cup ended in disappointment after a 1-0 loss to Morocco in the quarterfinals in Qatar.
After missing out on the opportunity to add the World Cup title lacking from his brilliant career, the 38-year-old headed straight down the tunnel in tears.
On Thursday, March 23, 2023, Portugal will host Liechtenstein before traveling to Luxembourg three days later. Afterward, they will take on Slovak Republic, Bosnia, and Herzegovina in Group J.
Ten German towns will host matches during the Euro 2024 campaign.
The striker was benched during Portugal’s 6-1 Round of 16 thrashing of Switzerland and was replaced by Goncalo Ramos, who scored a hat trick.
The former Manchester United striker Ronaldo came in as a second-half replacement for both games against Morocco which resulted in a quarterfinal loss.
Ronaldo is still a part of Portugal’s list, and the team has a wealth of offensive options, including Ramos of Benfica, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Diogo Jota, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva.
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