Late into the night in Hamburg, as if they hadn’t suffered enough having been put through 120 minutes of multi-faceted attacking players doing their utmost to keep their skills under wraps, Cristiano Ronaldo’s “Siu” fanatics gathered en masse around the Volksparkstadion’s players’ exit.
The midnight mass is just par for the course with Ronaldo, who has not even been safe from selfie hunters in the middle of the pitch in Germany this summer. The adulation is in fact what drove the 39-year-old on to want to captain his country at yet another major tournament.
The numbers at such vigils, however, are going to start to dwindle if performances like these continue, as Portugal fell to France in the last eight.
With a World Cup two years away and the faith in his own ability unwavering, Ronaldo may be eyeing up a summer sojourn in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026 – what better way to cap off the most remarkable career than one final crack at the one trophy that still eludes him.
Looking at 41-year-old Pepe chasing down Marcus Thuram like a man possessed in stoppage time in Hamburg will only add fuel to the fire still burning strong inside Ronaldo. If Pepe can do it, why not the greatest sportsman – his words – of all time.
Except it simply cannot continue, for the sake of Ronaldo himself, his all-important legacy and Portugal’s hopes of success.
Ronaldo’s heat map was coming up with an error code, such was his anonymity on Friday night in Germany’s second biggest city. And yet, Roberto Martinez, who has made a rod for his own back this tournament with his subservience football’s all-time top goalscorer, kept him out there.
Despite not scoring all tournament, Ronaldo has played more minutes than any other outfield player at Euro 2024. At 39. Diogo Jota, one of Europe’s most talented finishers, sat on the bench and watched his skipper taking the term veteran very literally, like he had decided to join in a walking football match at the local community centre.
France were there for the taking in Hamburg, but Martinez allowed an untouchable problem to stay on the pitch for fear he would take his ball home had he tried to substitute him. Portugal came into the summer as one of the favourites to win the Euros, but leave with Martinez again having failed to guide a “golden generation” to fulfil its potential.
Nobody has had more shots than Ronaldo all tournament, but he finishes what will certainly be his last European Championship without having scored a single goal from 23 attempts. That is now nine major tournament matches without finding the net.
The best goalscorers all endure dips in form. But not every country leads the line with a hitman turning 40 soon, plying their trade in Saudi Arabia. Raising your game once more against the best teams on the international stage, 21 years after one’s debut, is near impossible.
Ronaldo’s star appeal in Europe has endured the Saudi move because his disciples, focused on superstar individuals rather than following a particular team, don’t have many other alternatives.
Kylian Mbappe was always seen as the prince waiting to be king, but a tumultuous season at Paris Saint-Germain has held him back somewhat, while similarly poor performances in Germany have not helped matters.
Erling Haaland was set to be Mbappe’s greatest rival for the crown of global goliath, the Lionel Messi figure in the titanic tussle – but he has not been able to match his other-worldly goalscoring exploits this season at Manchester City.
But things can change very quickly, with Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid giving the 25-year-old the platform to explode. With someone else to worship, heads among the midnight masses outside stadiums could be turned.
For everything Ronaldo has done, he, like any of us, wants his achievements to stand the test of time. Tales of sensational goals, inhuman numbers and stepover wizardry that left defenders in a spin passed down from parents to their children, and beyond.
If he goes to the next World Cup and falls flat once more, despite being allowed to do as he pleases to the detriment of his teammates, there will be teenagers present who cannot remember Ronaldo at anything like the peak of his powers on the international stage.
Damage to legacy is irreparable, especially in the fickle world of football. Ronaldo may not realise this himself, but who is going to dare tell him otherwise?
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/UXWtOLm
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