Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal’s Euro 2024 journey concluded last Friday with a heartbreaking loss to France in the quarter-finals, following a dramatic tie-breaker. This marked a historic low in Ronaldo’s career, as the Al-Nassr star failed to score even once in a major competition for the first time.
The 39-year-old’s future in international football has since become a hot topic of speculation. Many are questioning whether the European Championship in Germany was the legendary forward’s final bow on the international stage.
Adding to the chorus are pundits and former players such as Roy Keane, Ian Wright, and Gary Neville, who have all suggested that Ronaldo should step back from the national team.
During Sky Sports’ “Stick to Football: The Overlap Special,” Wright expressed his disappointment with Portugal’s early exit, attributing it to underutilized talent within the squad.
“Portugal should be very disappointed about that [going out of EURO 2024] simply because of how good their team is – when you look at them from defence to attack. The way he [Cristiano Ronaldo] played in EURO 2024, as great as he’s been, surely Diogo Jota must be disappointed that he couldn’t get on that pitch,” Wright said.
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Wright didn’t hold back in his assessment of Ronaldo’s current capabilities. He stated:
“What I saw of him [Cristiano Ronaldo], he can’t cut it at this level now. As good as he is, as fit as he is, as driven as he is, you can see he just can’t quite get it out of his feet to get a shot in, the movement with a header, he can’t get past a defender now.”
Keane echoed similar sentiments, suggesting that a break from international football might be beneficial for Ronaldo.
“He [Cristiano Ronaldo] should have a break and step back from international football, and if he’s still playing at club level, then have a look at the World Cup when it comes around,” Keane advised.
“We look at [Harry] Kane when Kane’s quite off it, and your main goal scorers not at it, you’re playing with ten men. When you’re playing at the highest level, you really can’t carry anybody. His [Cristiano Ronaldo] movement is still there – against France, brilliant.”
Keane further elaborated on the potential benefits of stepping back from international duty.
“He [Cristiano Ronaldo] can carry on playing, but just not international football. How many footballers do we know that have stopped playing international football at a younger age and obviously carried on having a club career?”
“Part of your decision-making [when you’re coming to the end of your career] is to step back to let other players learn. You could be holding people back and that’s not good for the bigger picture [of the team].”
Neville added to the discussion by highlighting the intense pressure Ronaldo’s presence can place on his teammates and the national setup.
“This dynamic of unbelievable desire, self-fight, determination – all those things that you love about him [Cristiano Ronaldo] – how overbearing is it for the rest of the players and the manager and the country? There are two things – one, the player sometimes knows when to let it go, but there are some players who don’t and need telling but there is an element of who tells him [Cristiano Ronaldo].”
Neville also questioned whether Ronaldo’s dominant presence might be stifling the potential of other players.
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“I don’t think he’s [Cristiano Ronaldo] got it in him. At the end of the day, I’m not saying that if they [Portugal] had played with Diogo Jota they would have done better at this tournament or not do better, but that overbearing nature of his presence is huge – it was at [Manchester] United at the end.”
As Ronaldo enjoys a holiday with his family, he faces a period of reflection before returning to Saudi Arabia to prepare for the 2024/25 Saudi Pro League season. The football world watches closely, awaiting his decision regarding his international career and whether Euro 2024 was indeed his last dance with Portugal.