Acknowledging Declining Abilities, Cristiano Ronaldo Brushes Off Pundits’ Calls To Bench Him in Euros 2024

There are very few players who have evolved like Cristiano Ronaldo. To this day, the Portuguese skipper is one of the best players in his country. With Euros 2024 just a matter of weeks away, Portugal fans will hope that their talisman can put on his best to help the team clinch the European silverware. However, carrying the hopes of an entire nation isn’t easy, especially when you are 39 years old and haven’t played against some of Europe’s finest for months.

It’s not easy to maintain your shape from start to finish. Despite his age, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be the cornerstone of the Portuguese national team. However, even CR7 knows that the numbers are slowly catching up to him. The Portuguese skipper talked about his form before the tournament while talking to the official Euros website.

“I think I am a complete player, but there are always things I can perfect. And, with age, there are things we weren’t so good at in the past, and we start losing some abilities, so it’s important to try and adapt,” said Cristiano, in what could be his final Euros appearance.

“That’s what I tried to do. It’s no coincidence that I have been playing for 20 years at the highest level, and maintaining that performance is very hard,” mentioned Ronaldo.

While CR7 may be confident in his abilities, a section of experts believe the Al Nassr star is a liability for his national team. Some have even gone as far as to suggest Roberto Martinez to bench the veteran if he wants Portugal to win the Euros.

Ale Moreno suggests Roberto Martinez to bench Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Colombian soccer star Ale Moreno questioned Cristiano Ronaldo’s place in Roberto Martinez’s Portuguese squad. Moreno claims Cristiano is somewhat of a liability for the team and Portugal needs to move past the player.

The ex-MLs star while talking on ESPN FC stated, “If I had gone and made what would have been the courageous and brave decision and say Cristiano we appreciate your efforts thank you very much but we’re going to go in a different direction. I think it would have freed Roberto Martinez to make more decisions and to actually explore the possibilities of this team.”

While Moreno has every right to voice his opinion, benching your top scorer ahead of a major tournament makes no sense. Cristiano Ronaldo was in sublime form during the Euro Qualifiers as he emerged as the second-highest goal scorer behind Romelu Lukaku. Do you agree with Ale Moreno’s suggestion? Sound off in the comments below.