Tag: Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo said his former club Manchester United must rebuild everything from the bottom up if they are to compete for the top titles again.

The 39-year-old Portugal forward won three Premier League titles, the Champions League and a Club World Cup crown during his first stint at United from 2003-2009 and said he still loves the club, who finished eighth in the league last season.

Speaking on the ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ podcast, Ronaldo said he was happy with the way the club’s administrators, led by INEOS boss Jim Ratcliffe, were investing in infrastructure.

“They need to rebuild everything, in my opinion … the club needs time to rebuild because it’s still one of the best clubs in the world, but they need to change. They understand that this is the only way,” British media quoted him as saying.

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“I believe that the future will be bright. I believe, but they don’t depend only on the talents. They have to rebuild from the bottom. If not, they cannot compete. It will be impossible.”

United manager Erik Ten Hag has come under pressure already after two defeats in their opening three games and Ronaldo said he should lean on his former United teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was hired as an assistant coach.

“You cannot rebuild a club without knowledge,” he said. “I believe that Ruud is going to help because he was inside the club. He knows the club, he knows the fans. If the coach listens to him, I think they can improve a little bit the club.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored the 900th goal of his career during Portugal’s clash with Croatia.

The Real Madrid and Manchester United legend, 39, is the first player in history to achieve the feat.

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And he was visibly emotional after netting the landmark strike as he teared up on the pitch.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed the chance to gift Portugal the win in extra time after a foul on Diogo Jota by a Slovenian defender in the box.

After scoring his previous 29 penalties, Ronaldo was visibly stunned to see Oblak keep out his shot and was seen in tears.

However, Ronaldo later scored in the first penalty shootout, taking responsibility for the initial miss.

Here are a few things to learn from the Portugal skipper’s tears:

1. Ronaldo’s tears showed his passion for his national side.

It has been discussed over the years that some players do not give their all on the pitch, or fight for the badge, however, Ronaldo canceled the thoughts revealing that he missed a penalty that could have led his country into the quarterfinals.

2. Brought togetherness in the team

It was rumoured that the Portugal team had some discrepancies, saying Ronaldo had arguments with teammates, Joao Cancelo and Bruno Fernandes respectively.

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However, both players were the first to console him after the penalty loss.

3. Leadership mentality

After losing the penalty in extra-time, Ronaldo stepped up to take the first penalty in the shootout, which is against his normality, Ronaldo enjoys taking the last penalty so he can “show off”, however, the reverse was the case this time and scoring, he apologized to the crowd.

Portugal defender Ruben Dias said Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence shows their squad they can achieve anything as they prepare to make their Euro 2024 bow against the Czech Republic today..

Portugal won Euro 2016 and are spearheaded by 39-year-old superstar striker Cristiano Ronaldo, preparing to play at a record-extending sixth Euros.

Ronaldo, the record men’s international goalscorer with 130 strikes for his country, is also the all-time top scorer at the tournament with 14, a distance ahead of former France great Michel Platini in second spot on nine goals.

“I would say he represents inspiration, he represents that anything is possible, he represents all that you can dream, and achieve it,” Manchester City centre-back Dias told a news conference. “Mainly I would like to say it’s a pleasure to have him with us. More than all these little things or big things, him being with us in this moment of his career represents that he wants to win again.

“He’s our captain and obviously we follow him to the end.”

If Ronaldo scores at the Euros this summer he will become the competition’s oldest goalscorer of all-time, breaking a record set by Austria’s Ivica Vastic at 38 in Euro 2008.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said Ronaldo’s experience could be vital at the tournament, along with veteran centre-back Pepe, 41.

”(Ronaldo) is very important… at tournaments, Euros and World Cups, the key is a mix of experience and new talent,” said Martinez. “Our team does it perfectly – you mentioned Cristiano, and him and Pepe bring experience nobody else has, they are the two oldest players at the tournament.

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“Then we have (the young players too)… we need all of this, they all need to be linked together, committed, that is crucial for us.”

Czech Republic and West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek said his team could not afford to let their guard down against the Al Nassr striker.

“We all know Ronaldo’s quality especially if you give him space,” Soucek told a news conference. “We can’t give him an inch, especially in the area – (there) we need to double our defence on him.

“Our goal is to stop him but obviously we need to stop the rest of the Portuguese team too.”

If Ronaldo fires then Portugal may be able to live up to their billing as one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Martinez said he was aiming for that when asked if he had packed enough clothes in his suitcase to go the full distance.

“We must believe, we need to dream big – if we don’t dream big then it will be tough,” he said.

“Tomorrow will be the right time to show we are ready, that we can meet all the expectations, but after the first three matches we can gauge whether or not we deserve to stay or not.

“I brought seven shirts, not three.”