The one from Madeira, less decisive although very well surrounded, intends to make his debut this Tuesday as a goalscorer in a knockout phase, reach the great Eusebio and return to the quarter-finals 16 years later
At 37, who will turn 38 in a few months, Cristiano Ronaldo no longer shines as the imposing footballer of other times. He remains the center of attention, all the more so after the revelation of the great unknown of his new destiny, which will be with Al-Nassr Saudi from January, but on the field his role in this powerful team from Portugal falls into to a lesser extent. degree compared to a set that also covers him more than in other tournaments.
More than Madeira’s voracious goalscorer, the team led by Fernando Santos is much more, but the captain’s monumental records continue to present new challenges. The now-former Manchester United player has several goals against Switzerland, overshadowed by what have been the World Cup’s great figures so far: Kylian Mbappé and nemesis Leo Messi. On the one hand, he has to get rid of the curse that has haunted him and his team since Germany 2006 in the knockout stages of the World Cups. On the other hand, he has the opportunity to achieve one of the few records that resist him with his country’s shirt.
More than 16 years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut in most competitions with a memorable fourth-place finish, the second-best performance in Portugal, second only to England’s third-place finish in 1966 under the management of the legendary Eusebio. The Portuguese left the Netherlands in the round of 16 and England in the quarter-finals, before succumbing to Zidane’s France in the run-up to the grand final.
Since then nothing more for the Hispanics in matches without a net in the World Cups. An unrepeatable Spanish champion, got in the way in the round of 16 in South Africa 2010; Germany and the United States knocked out Portugal in the first exchange in Brazil 2014, and finally, in Russia 2018, a Cavani double for Uruguay again marked Portugal’s cap in the round of 16.
The neighboring country has not enjoyed a victory in the KO phase for years and the appointment against Switzerland has the special aroma of the last dance for Cristiano. He has eight goals in the World Cups, though none in a knockout tie, and is a stone’s throw from Eusebio, who scored nine in 1966. opened the scoring against Australia last Saturday. Nothing that happens to the Argentine star goes unnoticed by his great rival, who faces the same motivational challenge three days later.
Although this granite Switzerland, modeled in his day by Vladimir Petkovic and now directed by Murat Yakin, is a real toothache for anyone – tell the mighty France in the round of 16 of the last European championship – Cristiano Ronaldo has not liked anything to make the Swiss team ahead. The Portuguese has played three games against the Swiss team, with a record five goals to his name: a hat-trick in the semi-finals of the 2018-19 Nations League and a double in last June’s match in the group stage of the same competition.
They are records typical of the best Cristiano, one of those who seem to have lagged behind, but although to a lesser extent, the goal of the greatest legend of Portuguese football is the icing on the cake that adorns the talent of Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva in the middle of the field, the imbalance of Joao Félix or Rafael Leao in attack, the power of Rúben Dias and Pepe in the back or the safety of Diogo Costa under the sticks. On the other hand, a more than resistant block, hard and physical as a rock, and also full of morale after the victory against Serbia in the last match of the group stage, of special symbolism for Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, Swiss from Kosovo Albanian origin.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
