Former Manchester United star Cristian Ronaldo looks more than ready for Euro 2024 after netting a stunning goal in Portugal’s win against the Republic of Ireland.
With the summer tournament kicking off on Friday but Portugal’s first game not for another seven days, Ronaldo and his teammates played their final warm-up game on Tuesday. The 39-year-old, who broke the Saudi Pro League scoring record for a single season last month, started the friendly against the Republic of Ireland and swiftly silenced any doubters over his ability.
With Roberto Martinez’s side already one goal in front, Ronaldo doubled their lead from the edge of the box in the 50th minute. Upon taking down a lofted Ruben Neves pass with ease, the ex-United forward deployed his trademark step-over to gain a yard of space before firing an inch-perfect effort into the far corner with his weaker left foot.
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Just 10 minutes later, Ronaldo netted his second of the game from close-range with a composed finish after being picked out by Diogo Jota. As a result of his two goals, Ronaldo has now scored 130 times on the international stage with another brace the perfect way to prepare for the upcoming European championships.
Since making the decision to join Al-Nassr 18 months ago, Ronaldo has been criticised in some quarters for moving to the Middle East while other legendary footballers remained in Europe. Having clearly had enough of the people doubting his United teammate, Patrice Evra launched a staunch defence of Ronaldo recently – and the Portugal star has wasted little time in proving the Frenchman’s claims right.
“First of all, age is just a number,” he said, as per the Deccan Herald. “I think people need to stop mentioning age. If he’s there, it’s because he’s got the level.
“Cristiano definitely would like to win again that trophy. Roberto Martinez loved the team; I had a nice chat with him. Portugal have so many players and you can see Martinez trusts Cristiano.
“He’s not questioning Ronaldo’s age or whatever, he’s just looking at his form and he’s going to score. So, it’s more an advantage than a disadvantage. I really don’t understand why people question his age or whatever. I think he scored 52 goals [49 actually] in 52 games [47 actually] in the Saudi League.”
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