Cristiano Ronaldo amongst major Premier League stars going to Euro 2024 with Portugal
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez has named his 26-man squad for Euro 2024 this summer in Germany and it includes a 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
The legendary forward is currently playing in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr, a level well below the standard that will be set at the Euros, but Martinez feels that the former Man United star needs to be in his squad as he is still scoring goals in the Middle East.
Martinez has said at a press conference via the BBC that Ronaldo continues to offer “a quality in front of goal which we greatly appreciate and which we need”.
Euro 2024 will be the 39-year-old’s 11th major international tournament and he will look to add to his 206 appearances and 128 goals for Portugal in Germany this summer.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was a starter for his country during the qualification process for Euro 2024 but should that be the case for this summer’s tournament?
Should Cristiano Ronaldo have a big role for Portugal at Euro 2024?
Ronaldo finished as the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League this season with 33 goals and overall netted 42 times for Al Nassr across 42 games in all competitions.
The 39-year-old still knows where the net is but the standard in Saudi Arabia is not very high and many will question if the former Real Madrid star can still compete at the highest level.
It is easy to see why Martinez is including Ronaldo in his squad as his leadership and experience will be crucial at the very least, but starting the veteran forward may hamper Portugal’s chances of winning the Euros. The 39-year-old was dropped by Fernando Santos for key games at the 2022 World Cup as he believed that was key to his team progressing in Qatar.
With players such as Bernardo Silva, Diojo Jota and Rafael Leao all included in the Portuguese squad, it will be interesting to see what Martinez will do with Ronaldo.
Portugal squad for Euro 2024
Martinez has named a strong 26-man squad for the Euros, which includes several major Premier League stars, such as Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Jota.
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves), Rui Patricio (AS Roma)
Defenders: Antonio Silva (Benfica), Danilo Pereira (Paris St Germain), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Pepe (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Neves (Benfica), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Otavio Monteiro (Al Nassr), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Vitinha (PSG)
Forwards: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Francisco Conceicao (Porto), Goncalo Ramos (PSG), Joao Felix (Barcelona), Pedro Neto (Wolves), Rafael Leao (AC Milan).
Cristiano Ronaldo will be heading to his SIXTH Euros with maybe his most stacked Portugal squad yet ?? pic.twitter.com/X88K7CmsFT
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 21, 2024
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