Ageing superstar or renaissance? Cristiano Ronaldo's Euro 2024 dilemma

Richard Keys, an English sports journalist, is not convinced that Cristiano Ronaldo will be a leading player at Euro 2024. In his opinion, fans will witness the decline of the Portuguese captain in international football.

Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped from Portugal's starting lineup during the World Cup in Qatar, but under current coach Roberto Martinez, he is once again a key player in the squad. Ronaldo began in the winning match against the Czech Republic at the beginning of Euro 2024, which ended 2-1.

Thus, the Portuguese are the first players in history to play in six consecutive European Championship tournaments. He debuted in 2004 and helped the Portugal national team win the title in 2016.

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Euro 2024 at 39 and after a season spent at the Al-Nassr club in Saudi Arabia. According to journalist Richard Keys, this will prevent the Portuguese from playing a leading role in the tournament. In the BeIN Sports studio, the presenter expressed his doubts about Ronaldo.

We all know that he has been one of the best of his generation. There is only one other to match, or maybe better than what he was capable of doing, It’s not Ronaldo anymore. It is a long, long way from being Ronaldo anymore. There are times when I’ve been watching him and thought - he could go on in this tournament to prove me entirely wrong - but running is not his friend - says Richard Keys.

The other thing that bothers me is, as they come into the tournament, everything’s fine. The minute he comes off or doesn’t start, big trouble. They’re like boxers, again players. They never quite know when the time is right to call it a day and I think he’s in that category - adds the Englishman.

The Portuguese can respond to the harsh words in the remaining Euro 2024 matches. His team will still face Turkey and Georgia in the group stage, and it is almost certain that they will also play in the knockout phase.