Is Cristiano Ronaldo going to lead Portugal at the 2024 European Cup?

To what extent was Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2023–24 season exceptional? You guessed it: Cristiano Ronaldo called it “one of the best” of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s 22-year professional career.

Although no one has ever scored more goals for Real Madrid or for men’s international teams, that is truly saying something for one of the best goal scorers in the history of the sport.

To support his argument, the 39-year-old will point to his 35 goals in 31 Saudi Pro League games with Al Nassr.

He has an equally stellar qualifying record. He is the only player with 41 goals in the Euro Qualifiers. He scored ten goals in nine qualifying matches to help Portugal win Group J and advance past Slovakia, Luxembourg, Iceland, Bosnia, and Liechtenstein, in preparation for Euro 2024. In the qualifying round, only Romelu Lukaku of Belgium (14) scored more goals.

Further indications of Ronaldo’s growth came during the journey to Germany. Even though he started 10 qualifying games compared to Ronaldo’s nine, he is still a vital member of the Portugal team, despite playing significantly less in the team’s build-up play than many of his teammates.

Ten players—the whole team’s worth—had more touches than Ronaldo (332) during the season, and they also completed more carries—the act of dribbling the ball from one location to another—than him.

In nine qualifying matches, Ronaldo only crossed the ball three times and did not participate in a single through-ball. But with 46 shots, he had by far the most.

That puts him 24 ahead of Fernandes, the next player for Portugal.Portugal, France, the host nation, Germany, and England are all considered among the favorites to win Euro 2024. Melo is not in agreement.

Last week, Ronaldo acknowledged, “I know I don’t have many years of football left,” when speaking from Portugal’s training camp.

“Playing it year after year is a gift. At 39, my goal is to have fun every year… My life’s passion is the national team. It would be a dream to win the Europeans.

“Either playing today or back in 2004, when I made my [European Championship] debut, I always feel proud and passionate about what I’m doing. This is the best it gets, guaranteed.

The most crucial factor is that my physical and mental health are good. I work with professionalism exclusively. I will respect the coach’s decisions and be ready as always to support our nation [in the Euros].”

The next chapter will start on Tuesday, June 18 in Portugal’s opening match against Czechia. This is the chance for the top goal scorer in the history of the European Championship, a player who qualified for the final of his first Euros and won the competition in a career-high of 2016, to add to his goal total.

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