If the European Championship favorites were to be selected, the star-studded Portugal would definitely be among them, but against the Slovenian team, which was not too strong, the Portuguese who were aiming to win the championship almost overturned. In the end, it was through a brutal penalty shootout that the Portuguese team got lucky and got the ticket to the top 8.
I believe that fans who watched the game know that the reason why the Portuguese team played so hard in this game was all because of the poor performance of one person, and he was the number one star of the Portuguese team, Ronaldo. No one can deny that Ronaldo's contribution to the Portuguese team, the team's all-time top scorer, and the team's appearance record holder, all of which are unattainable by others, are Ronaldo's best medals. But we may forget one thing, Ronaldo, who was born in 1985, is 39 years old.
Cristiano Ronaldo at his peak can single-handedly challenge the opponent's entire backline, and his violent long-range shots, signature free kicks, and empty headers in the penalty area are all good weapons to break the goal. But now that Ronaldo is approaching the age of confusion, what is left?
In the match against Slovenia, Ronaldo took four free kicks, only one of which hit the frame and was easily blocked by goalkeeper Oblak. If you talk about the quality of free kicks alone, the Portuguese team's B seat, B fee, Cancelo and others believe that they can completely blow Ronaldo, but Ronaldo is Ronaldo, as long as he is on the field, others can't compete with him for the right to take the penalty, so what we see will only be a wave of unthreatening shots again and again.
And Ronaldo's famous archery skills seem to be degrading. Against Slovenia, he had eight shots on goal alone, including a one-on-one and a penalty in addition to four direct free-kicks. But even with such a good opportunity to score, Ronaldo still failed to grasp it.
After missing the penalty, Ronaldo cried bitterly, I don't know if at that moment, he will realize that it is time for him to give way, and now he brings more harm to the Portuguese team than help. As long as Ronaldo is on the field, then he is the authority of the team, everyone has to pass the ball to him, all opportunities have to be given to him, because he wants to score, he wants to set a record of scoring in the sixth consecutive European Championship, and become the first person in Europe who has never been seen before and is difficult to come. But he only forgot that his primary goal should be to help the team win the championship, and no individual should be above the team, even if you are Cristiano Ronaldo.
I hope that this game can make Ronaldo recognize the reality, and let Portugal coach Martinez recognize the reality. They are playing in the European Championship and not in the Saudi Arabian League, and their goal is to win the title, not to accompany Cristiano Ronaldo to see him break another record and then leave the game with hatred.
Last but not least, Cristiano Ronaldo is great, he has accompanied the youth of countless fans, and we don't want to see him fail, just as we don't want to see ourselves become a failure in life. But no one's life is smooth sailing, and only by accepting one's ordinariness can one better find the way forward.