Will Cristiano Ronaldo end his national team career? Portugal coach speaks out, legend fails to make a mark at the Euros

Portugal finished outside the gates of the semi-finals at the Euros on Friday night, falling to France on penalties. Cristiano Ronaldo was more or less invisible in the match, failing to score a goal for the first time at a major tournament. Will he end his national team career?

• Portugal finished in the quarter-finals at the Euro
• Cristiano Ronaldo failed to impress at the championship
• Coach speaks out about the end of Ronaldo’s national team career

Cristiano Ronaldo has had a great club season in terms of goals scored. When he didn’t score for Al Nassr, it wasn’t such a hit parade from his side. However, he scored a lot of goals. But only in Saudi Arabia, he scored more against weaker countries in the national team.

At 39, his best years are behind him. Even before the start of the European Championship, there were voices from several experts that he would be Portugal’s biggest weakness at the championship. And unfortunately, those speculations were somewhat confirmed.

Coach Roberto Martinez has excellent footballers in his squad, world-class players who shine in Europe. Yet, with the exception of the game against Georgia, which the Portuguese lost and Ronaldo was substituted, the holder of five Ballon d’Or has racked up almost maximum minutes.

Although the team has an interesting potential, in some situations, moments and matches, it was the star Al Nasr who played too much. The latter played most of the standard situations, unsuccessfully. She couldn’t even find the centres. And when the famous CR7 marker did get a chance, she failed.

Unfortunately for the Portuguese idol, the league in Saudi Arabia simply isn’t up to the standard of France’s Ligue 1, let alone better, as one of the best players in history claims.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo end his national team career?

Ideally, Portugal could be ushering in a new era. Only it’s not happening. Instead, coach Roberto Martinez is building everything around CR7, whom he hasn’t replaced even in games when not only his efforts, but also those of his teammates, have looked desperate to make an impact.

If Cristiano Ronaldo had accepted the role of substitute and not chased records on the strength of it, he could surely still convey a lot to his country. As it is, it feels more like he is the one holding back the team’s development. That is also why there is more and more talk that he should retire from the national team.

Will that happen? Martinez also answered this question after his elimination from the European Championships. “Everything is fresh now, we are still absorbing the defeat and the elimination. No individual decision has been made at this point,” Goal quotes him as saying.

It is worth noting that Ronaldo did not score in a major tournament for the first time in his career. He notched up a single assist and gave away one penalty. He was not one of the best Portuguese players at the championship. It won’t be a surprise if he wants to be at the World Cup in two years’ time, but it should be more a question of whether he actually deserves a nomination.

Source: Fabrizio Romano, UEFA, WhoScored, Goal