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Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for the Portuguese National Team, the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner has been an excellent servant for the team. However, dynasties come to an end and CR7, at the age of 38, is undeniably at the fag end of his career. Many have started questioning his place in the national team, which has forced Portugal boss Roberto Martinez to justify his selections to the press.

In a recent press conference, Martinez was asked why CR7 and PSG star Goncalo Ramos were picked over Sporting CP’s latest attacking sensation. This forced the Spaniard to justify the inclusion of the duo over Sporting’s new striker. This shocked many as very rarely does somebody have to justify the selection of Ronaldo.

Portugal Head Coach justifies picking CR7 and Ramos over 30 YO Sporting CP star

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After the Portuguese FA announced their squad for the World Cup qualifiers this month, a section of the media was unhappy with the attacking talents called up. As per their consensus, Sporting CP’s Paulinho deserved a chance for his fiery start to the season. Moreover, they stressed on Paulinho’s inclusion since CR7 is 38 years old and is unlikely to feature at the 2026 World Cup. In response, Roberto Martinez appreciated $7,000,000-rated Paulinho’s 4 goals in 3 games for Sporting so far.

However, he highlighted that CR7 and PSG star Goncalo Ramos are above him in the pecking order. “I really liked the beginning of Paulinho’s League. I think he’s an area player, finisher,” said the ex-Belgium gaffer. “But now we have two spearheads, Cristiano [Ronaldo] and Gonçalo [Ramos]. Competitiveness at this level makes it very difficult to have an opportunity,” said the World Cup bronze medallist.

While the press can question the decision all they want, Cristiano Ronaldo, with time, continues to defy age and records with his performances. His last night’s decisive goal for Al Nassr is a testament to this fact.

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Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first player in the world to score 850 career goals

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Ever since lifting the Arab Club Champions Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo has been in pipping hot form. To put things in perspective, in his last three matches, CR7 has scored 6 top-quality goals. His last night’s performance against Al-Hazm was special. In the 68th minute of the match, the ex-Real Madrid player finally opened his tally for the night, and landed on a magical career goal tally.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal tally currently stands at a whopping 850 goals making him the only soccer player to achieve this feat. He took his jubilation to social media. “Another great team performance! We keep improving. Let’s go @AlNassrFC.. 850 career goals and still counting!” posted the 38-year-old on social media.

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Will Cristiano Ronaldo end up scoring 1,000 goals by the end of his career? Let us know your predictions in the comments below!