Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal Snubbed From Favorites to Win UEFA Euro 2024 by Ex-Chelsea Star [Exclusive]

The Euro 2024 is just two months away. Excitement is through the roof for the star-studded competition and fans are naming their favourites. With the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and Ruben Dias, Portugal, on paper, has an elite squad. With their incredible form under Roberto Martinez, the belief is that Portugal can recreate their heroics from eight years ago. However, in an exclusive interview with Essentially Sports, thanks to Betideas.com, legendary World Cup-winning defender Frank Leboeuf claimed that two other teams have better chances of winning the tournament.

Inconsistency has been a problem for Portugal. In their last match, they lost 2-0 against 57th-ranked Slovenia, despite having the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo in the XI. Could this have influenced Lebouef’s claim? In the exclusive interview with Essentially Sports, the Frenchman was asked to name his favorites for Euro 2024. Leboeuf replied, “The contenders are France, England, Portugal, but don’t forget Germany. They (Germany) gotta be there, they gonna host the competition, they gonna fight for their nation.”

Leboeuf also added that Germany has some good players like Toni Kroos and Joshua Kimmich. However, neither Germany nor Portugal made it into his big favorites for the tournament. The Frenchman added, “For me, the two main favorites are France and England.” The common factor between France and England is that both of these sides have placed an emphasis on young stars.

With the likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Kylian Mbappe, and Camavinga, the two sides are set for the next decade. In contrast, Portugal is lining up with the experienced Cristiano Ronaldo at the helm of their attack. On the other hand, before the exclusive interview with Essentially Sports, Leboeuf had previously claimed that this was not a smart strategy as the soccer star’s time for Portugal was done.

Lebouef reveals where Cristiano Ronaldo should be for Portugal to win the Euro

At 39 years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo is still in sparkling form. He is the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League with 29 goals in 25 games. As such, the expectation is that the Al Nassr star would lead the Portuguese attack at Euro 2024. However, as per Leboeuf, CR7 has to be on the bench for Portugal to win the tournament.

He explained, “For me, Portugal are actually one of the contenders for this summer’s European Championships. I actually think they can win the Euros, but only if Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t play. I think his time for Portugal is done.” It is worth noting that former manager Fernando Santos had used the tactic of benching CR7 to mixed results in the 2022 World Cup. However, under new manager Roberto Martinez, CR7 has once again regained his starting spot. Regardless of CR7’s role in the team, do you think Portugal can go all the way in Euro 2024? Let us know in the comments below.