Cristiano Ronaldo featured in every one of Portugal’s five Euro 2024 matches but did not find the net. Despite this, Roberto Martinez opted not to substitute the 39-year-old in either of the knockout games, even as Portugal failed to score a single goal in 240 minutes of play kèo nhà cái. Portugal’s tournament ended on Friday with their defeat to France.
Just as predictably as the sunrise and sunset, Cristiano Ronaldo’s name adorned Portugal’s team sheet on Friday evening, possibly for the final occasion. However, Roberto Martinez’s decision to include him was pragmatic rather than sentimental.
Only goalkeeper Diogo Costa logged more minutes than Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal this summer, with their tournament culminating in a heart-wrenching 5-3 penalty shootout loss to France. It marked an abrupt conclusion for one of football’s greatest talents, who found himself shedding more tears at these championships than achieving much else.
On this occasion, however, the tears did not belong to Ronaldo. Instead, the Portugal captain found himself comforting a tearful Pepe as yet another agonizing quarter-final defeat became painfully apparent.
Portugal accumulated an xG of 9.41 throughout their five matches, yet they managed to score only three goals (or five, counting own goals by Robin Hranac of the Czech Republic and Samet Akaydin of Turkey). Notably, Ronaldo failed to add to the team’s scoring tally.
Why, then, did the coach opt to field the 39-year-old as the striker against France instead of tapping into the wealth of talent on Portugal’s exceptionally gifted bench? Neither Diogo Jota nor Goncalo Ramos saw any action, despite the match lasting the full 120 minutes. Martinez persisted with his struggling forward throughout the game, even as Bruno Fernandes was substituted with 15 minutes remaining, leaving Ronaldo on the field.
Even more concerning is that Portugal failed to find the net in their last three matches. After a 2-0 loss to Georgia, where Ronaldo was part of a depleted lineup, they managed only goalless draws against Slovenia and, crucially, France. Was Martinez feeling the heat? Perhaps the Portuguese fans and media were also wary of potential repercussions from a Ronaldo backlash, given his historic role in stabilizing the team.
Undoubtedly, Ronaldo’s inclusion in the team wasn’t based on merit; rather, it was influenced by his well-established reputation. Martinez hesitated to exclude him, given Ronaldo’s unwavering self-confidence despite mounting evidence to the contrary. Within the Portugal camp, there was minimal room for argument against this decision, and certainly no valid reason to bench the legendary player
Jota, Ramos, and their teammates observed as Ronaldo had six fewer ball touches than goalkeeper Costa—fewer than any other Portuguese player. The agony intensified as Portugal generated more promising chances, supported by superior xG data (1.84 compared to France’s 1.14), yet failed to score. Ultimately, their despair deepened when France’s Theo Hernandez converted the decisive penalty.
Jota, Ramos, and other attacking substitutes—let’s not forget Pedro Neto—never had the opportunity to influence the game. Consequently, the intrigue (or perhaps annoyance) surrounding Ronaldo’s constant presence intensifies. Although he successfully converted his spot-kick during the shoot-out, only one of his two open-play shots found the target. In a fair-minded gesture, he even allowed Fernandes the chance to take one of his prized free kicks.
However, it continues to reflect a broader inflexibility on both Ronaldo’s part and Portugal’s. Neither he nor his country seems willing to transition beyond the glory days.
Ronaldo has participated in six European Championships and four World Cups, proudly representing Portugal. His remarkable achievements include holding the all-time record for international goals with 130, as well as being his nation’s most-capped player (212 appearances). Notably, his tally of 14 goals stands as the highest ever in European Championship finals—by comparison, French legend Michel Platini is second on the list with nine goals.
