Cristiano Ronaldo is escaping from reality. She is against it
Grigory Telingater July 2, 2024, 20:30 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
For many years, the great Portuguese led his team, but this could not last forever.
The Portuguese national team is now creating a strange feeling. We made it to the playoffs, but the aftertaste is bitter. Of course, the Portuguese looked better, but that was not enough. Zero goals in 120 minutes is unworthy against an opponent like Slovenia. And Cristiano Ronaldo became the symbol of this lack of teeth.
Many will remember his missed penalty, but that is not the case. The problem is how he played the whole match (and the whole tournament). Ronaldo, as always, took himself out of the game when it came to defending. And for a long time this was a completely acceptable sacrifice. The striker made up for it all by playing in attack: he simply produced results.
It is not like that now.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Photo: Gokhan Balci/Anadolu via Getty Images
At 39, you can no longer show the progress you once had. As a result, you don’t have time to reach the ball. And even in those episodes when Ronaldo held on, he still missed the chance to score. Although the team played stubbornly for its leader. In four games he has 0 goals and one assist. This is not enough for any striker, but doubly so for Ronaldo. He is not one to invest in pressing or go deep to create chances for his partners.
A separate problem is Ronaldo’s free kicks. He has never scored from them at the European Championships, although this is his sixth tournament. 34 shots – 0 goals. In the match against Slovenia, the striker struck from such a position that it looked more like desperation. What are the chances of excelling from here? Especially if the goalkeeper knows that Ronaldo has the ball and will shoot at goal. There is no chance of catching the goalkeeper because he went to intercept the cross in advance.
Ronaldo’s free kick
Photo: Screenshot of the broadcast.
These mistakes clearly affected Ronaldo himself, who was emotionally devastated. With each new missed moment, the Portuguese shouted into the air, became angry with himself and even cried during the match over the missed penalty. It was clear that Cristiano was nervous. This interfered with the team, which was forced to support their teammate. Usually it happens the other way around: the captain inspires confidence in others.
Somewhere, former Portuguese national team coach Fernando Santos analyses all this with his “I told you so”.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
If we take into account the game of football and the chances of winning, then it makes sense to move Ronaldo not only from penalty kicks, but also from the base. Instead, they let him play 120 minutes at that age. And it seems sad. A self-made footballer does not want to bear the fact that he is no longer the same. But reality still catches up with him. And, judging by the tears, Ronaldo is beginning to guess what the situation really is.
It’s one thing to hit balls in packs in the Saudi Arabian championship and score doubles in games against Luxembourg and Liechtenstein in the Euro qualifiers. It’s another thing for a top player to have stepped up, but you might not even notice.
And here are the headlines from the main publications about Cristiano after the Euro 2016:
“The only thing left of Ronaldo is a gesture.” The world’s media cover Cristiano’s shower of tears at the Euros
