Portugal stoppage time stunner! Cristiano Ronaldo and Conceição, father and son, have been teammates and have completed a special legacy on the pitch

Beiqing Sports

2024-06-19 08:54Posted on the official account of Beijing Beiqing Sports News

"Cristiano Ronaldo was standing there, and he looked at Conceição, who scored the killer goal, and his eyes were full of his 20-year-old appearance." In the early morning of the 19th, Beijing time, when Portugal reversed the Czech Republic 2-1 in the group stage of the European Cup, this rewritten commentary once again became the focus of heated discussions among fans. As the first man in the history of six European Championships, although Ronaldo did not score or assist in this campaign, it is a miracle that he can stand on the pitch. And being able to fight side by side with the son of his former old teammate has made Ronaldo legendary.

When the Portugal team announced the starting lineup, the 39-year-old Ronaldo and the 41-year-old Pepe played side by side again, which was impressive. This is the fifth European Championship that the two have participated in together. In other words, since 2008, Portugal, the core of the former backfield, has appeared together, and based on their current age and form, the two still hope to continue to compete in the World Cup in two years. If that's the case, then this old and strong combination is bound to be a football miracle.

It was another major milestone for Cristiano Ronaldo, who made his 26th European Championship game as captain, and his 18th consecutive start in the competition, equalling the record held by Leonardo Bonucci between 2012 and 2021. The last time Ronaldo did not play in Portugal's European Championship was in the final group stage in 2008, when he was rested after his team qualified early.

It is worth mentioning that with Ronaldo's participation in this European Cup, he has increased the number of European players he has maintained to participate in major international competitions to 11 times, continuing to top the list. Specifically, he has participated in a total of 5 World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) and 6 European Cups (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024) so far, and before he entered the national team, Portugal had only participated in a total of 3 World Cups and 3 European Championships, and Ronaldo's importance to the team is self-evident. In second place are Pepe, Cristiano Ronaldo's former club team-mate Luka Modric and German football legend Mateus, all three of whom have participated in nine international tournaments.

A special mention must be made here for the centre-back Pepe, who is over 40 years old. Although the Portuguese team currently has the best central defender reserves in Europe and even the world, in addition to the famous Ruben Dias, the two post-00 youngsters Ignacio and Antonio Silva are also fully equipped with the main level, but in the first game of the European Cup, the 41-year-old Pepe still appeared in the starting list, which shows the coach Martinez's trust in him. At the same time, it also shows that Pepe is still a top-level existence today, even if the years are not forgiving. According to statistics, at the age of 41 years and 113 days, Pepe surpassed the record of 40 years and 86 days set by former Hungarian international Kirari at Euro 2016 and became the oldest player to play in the history of the European Championship.

Another highlight of the game was of course Conceição, who only made the national team squad for the first time in March this year, and was pleasantly surprised by the surprise of the order, who came off the bench in the 90th minute and contributed a stunning goal after just 112 seconds, becoming the Portuguese team to set the record for the fastest goal scored by a substitute in the history of the European Cup, and also opened up a world for his own bright future.

The mention of Conceição may not be familiar to fans, but when it comes to his father, many older fans will have the impression that the long-haired Portuguese midfielder has left a deep mark on the World Cup and Serie A, and is an important player in Portugal's golden generation. Conceição Sr. and Cristiano Ronaldo were selected for the Portuguese national team together in August 2003, when Ronaldo was just 18 years old, but unfortunately the two did not appear together in official matches. Twenty-one years have passed, and the regret of that year has been made up for in Conceição Jr., wearing the No. 26 jersey, and Cristiano Ronaldo hugged and celebrated tightly after scoring a goal, and the two "uncle and nephew" teammates who are nearly 18 years apart have completed a special inheritance, and this moment is enough to be written in the history of football.

Text/Beiqing Sports Zhang Kunlong

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