Al Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his feelings at rejoining the Portugal national team for the upcoming international break. The 38-year-old returned to Portugal national team for the first time since the Selecaos suffered a heartbreak in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Portugal crashed out of the quarterfinals at the hands of minnows Morocco, a game which Cristiano Ronaldo started on the bench.
The EURO 2016 winners’ World Cup chapter ended with stories and headlines marred by Ronaldo’s alleged fallout with the then manager Fernando Santos. The ex-Portugal coach benched his captain for both, the round of 16 as well as quarterfinal clashes. A furious Ronaldo reportedly had a verbal spat with Santos, following which the manager was sacked and replaced by former Belgium coach Roberto Martinez.
Cristiano Ronaldo to lead Portugal into the Roberto Martinez era
On March 23, Portugal will play Liechtenstein at Stadium Jose Alvalade to begin their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Three days later, they will travel to face Luxembourg. Cristiano Ronaldo is anticipated to participate in both games, marking his first Selecao appearance since the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. At the global tournament in Qatar, the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football only managed one goal—a penalty against Ghana in the group stage.
However, it seems Ronaldo has put behind a forgettable World Cup campaign and was happy to re-join the Portugal squad for their upcoming fixtures. The former Man United striker shared four pictures from the the Selecao’s training session on Twitter, including pictures of himself and his teammates. He wrote the following as the tweet’s caption in Portuguese:
“Very happy to return to our national team and be able to represent Portugal again!”
Muito feliz por voltar à nossa seleção e poder representar novamente Portugal!???? pic.twitter.com/TuVSZ4D8as
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) March 21, 2023
After he was demoted to the Portugal bench for the knockout stage at the tournament in Qatar, headlines were dominated by rumours regarding Ronaldo’s future with the national team, which as evident are no longer true. Roberto Martinez will lead Portugal for the first time throughout this month’s games. After Santos was fired as a result of the Selecao’s defeat at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Belgian was named the team’s new head coach in January. On his selection of Ronaldo to join the club for its games this month, Martinez said
“Cristiano Ronaldo is a very committed player. He can bring experience and is a very important figure for the team. I don’t look at age.”
The international break will find Cristiano Ronaldo in fantastic shape. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored nine goals in eight Saudi Pro League games helping Al-Nassr sit only one point behind league-leaders Al-Ittihad. However, whether Ronaldo will continue to serve as the national team’s captain is a subject of discussion. Martinez has not yet decided who would lead his side’s armband. Veteran defender Pepe was named Portugal’s captain at the most recent FIFA the Best awards ceremony, which Ronaldo skipped.