He is so delusional that its not funny anymore.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Much Ado About Al Nassr
- Thread starter Bastian
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Seems harsh on Ramos to immediately lose his place
I know people will start going on about this records but it’s a farce he’s still in that Portugal team.
Nothing he is doing right now is impressive. The guy has a world class side around him spoon feeding him goals against semi-professionals most of the time.
When his first goal was a penalty too it was just what are we even watching seriously. A pure ego trip nothing else.
Nothing he is doing right now is impressive. The guy has a world class side around him spoon feeding him goals against semi-professionals most of the time.
When his first goal was a penalty too it was just what are we even watching seriously. A pure ego trip nothing else.
Agreed. It's a total farce he's playing and scoring goals. Such things shouldn't be allowed at all. The ego of the man too!
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Martinez even stayed loyal to Hazard after Hazard basically stopped being a footballer when he signed for Real Madrid. I dont think Ronaldo has to fear for his spot in the national team. Ronaldo still plays football, even if the level he plays at is questionable, and Ronaldo has a bigger reputation than Hazard ever had.
Ronaldo just lacks self-awareness more than anything, as shown by that ridiculous interview with Piers Morgan and pretty much everything he did in the latter part of 2022. It's as much as the weak management of Martinez, why pick him? Portugal have a great generation of players, that Switzerland match in the last World Cup was a classic example where Ramos comes in for Ronaldo because Ronaldo kicks up a stink and undermined the manager and the team, Ramos scores a hat-trick, the crowd still shouts for Ronaldo to come on, he comes on and looks way off the pace. The game has passed him by. This is why I would not pick Ronaldo, the circus that surrounds him, all the cameras turn to the bench. Why isn't Ronaldo playing? Irrelevant of his current level.
Every single week in the first half of this season where Ronaldo was at United, he stole the headlines in some way, it was tedious. Blanking Neville, storming up the tunnel for not getting picked, something he said or did. United could finally breathe again as a club the second he left, it was very much good riddance.
I don't agree he's still delivering the goods. No good team in Europe wanted him so he had to go to Saudi Arabia. Look at United when Ronaldo arrived, look at Ronaldo after he left. Even Weghorst does a job for the team and the team looks way more functional because he can accept his role. Ronaldo is incapable of that role, he proved that in 2022. In general, Ronaldo stopped being worth the circus around 2-3 years ago. He brings a lot of other outside factors to the team, he's a distraction. It's no coincidence that United's worst recent season was when Ronaldo was the key player.
As for my posting history, I have had a lot of reservations about Ronaldo's impact on teams in recent years, which the other poster Pickle has constantly denied, blaming everything at United but Ronaldo for years, yet United are far stronger as soon as he left. Funny that.
If that were the case he would've been out of the squad already because he was horrendous at the world cup.
He's clearly playing for non football related reasons.
All valid reasons why he probably shouldn't have come back to the fast paced PL at that age. And especially why, ideally, he'd have left us in the summer as ETH wants a pressing #9.
However the international pace is much slower, and Martinez' Belgium always had Lukaku as their #9 - hardly a hard working presser of the ball. You mention him keeping Ramos out - he's only 21, new to the international stage and still playing in the Portuguese league. What's wrong with him playing understudy to Ronaldo until after Euro 2024? He'll still get plenty of minutes and will become more of the finished article before taking over the mantle of his nations #9.
People are sticking up for Sancho saying he's still only a kid at 22 (23 tomorrow) - what's the rush to heap the weight of his nation on Ramos' shoulders at 21? If there was a top class replacement in his prime that Ronaldo was keeping out, then I'd get it more. But a talented youngster still making his way? Seems perfectly fine to ease him into the position while acting as understudy to the sports all time leading international goalscorer.
Ramos just scored a hat-trick in the last 16 of the Champions League and has scored 7 in 12 Champions League games while Ronaldo couldn't get any CL club to pick him up, 24 in 36 in general this season. He's linked with United and other top clubs, he will also probably go to a so-called 'elite' club within the year (Benfica are in the Champions League quarter-finals regardless, a far higher level than Ronaldo's playing). If Portugal keep Ronaldo as main striker for Euro 2024 then they're going nowhere fast.
Luka Modric might join him at Al Nassr. Rumours in Croatia.
Portugal will qualify even with Ronaldo cos they have got a piss easy group and there are some good players in the squad. Martinez will stick with Ronnie cos he will be too scared to drop him and when they come up against better teams in the Euros they will get dumped out as Ronnie won`t be able to do it against good defenders. Ronaldos fans will harp on about how many he has scored in the qualifiers against the likes of Liechtenstein, Iceland, Luxembourg and Slovakia and in the Saudi league. It is a shame as Portugal have got some exciting young players that under a good manager would no doubt play some high tempo fluid football but it looks like Martinez will stick with Ronaldo and no doubt gear the team to feed him and his ego .
And still playing for Croatia at 37!
The ego on that guy! Time to give a younger player a chance ahead of Euro 2024.
He's Croatia's best player though. Ronaldo is Portugal's worst starter by quite some distance.And still playing for Croatia at 37!
The ego on that guy! Time to give a younger player a chance ahead of Euro 2024.
All reasons why, at 21, he's already established himself in the squad, is sharing #9 duties with the competitions all time scorer, and is going to cement that role in the near future.
Just because you're eager to see the end of Ronaldo's career and so want that baton passed over immediately to get rid of him doesn't make it a bad call that the current manager, with less hostile feelings towards that player, sees it differently.
The bolded part: I know.
Just taunting about the age, as that's rightly deemed a positive when other players keep the fitness and desire not to retire from international football late in their career - but somehow used as a stick to beat Ronaldo with as 'proof' of his ego.
The latter part: that's subjective. Certainly a shadow of his former self. As all players are at that age. But reflective of the dearth of Portuguese #9's currently in their prime. The two main options are a legend at the end of his career and a very talented kid at the start of it.
Seems fine to me that they're the two being used, and that Ramos is slowly being eased into the role of replacing Ronaldo full time. Not having fully displaced the sports all time leading scorer by the age of 21 hardly seems ludicrous or a joke to me. It's clearly going to fully happen over the next year or so, and, in the short term, Ramos is gaining valuable playing time at the highest international level at this early stage of his career. And will take on the mantle of his nations undisputed #9 at the still young age of 22. Not really seeing a huge issue. It seems a valid enough call by Martinez. Some will see it as right, some wrong. That's international management. But a valid enough call either way.
In fact he was dropped in his last 2 games in the World Cup.
But he has also scored a huge amount of goals for Portugal over the years, and not long ago he was also Euro's top scorer in just the prior year. If the manager decided to give everyone a fair chances in qualifiers campaign, I don't see anything wrong with that.
I think Ramos has more mins in Portugal's last 3 games than Ronaldo.
Besides, he was quite poor in his last WC game vs Morocco, with avg rating of 5.84 (2nd worst player on the pitch). Maybe the manager wants to do squad rotation based on merits.
You can tell the world how much you hate/love him and how he is the worst/best player in the world if that makes you feel better. At the same time, the top scorer in the history of this sport is looking to add some more to his record. Isn't it beautiful?
These posts, in the end, are simply opinions of non-relevant people with no impact on this sport, let alone Ronaldo's life or legacy. I'm just interested in seeing how far those two guys can go, their retirement is just around the corner. Soon, they will be history. I don't think I'll ever see players like those two again. I love this game.
These posts, in the end, are simply opinions of non-relevant people with no impact on this sport, let alone Ronaldo's life or legacy. I'm just interested in seeing how far those two guys can go, their retirement is just around the corner. Soon, they will be history. I don't think I'll ever see players like those two again. I love this game.
The thing is, Ronaldo hasn't been great for the last year, but his drop in form has coincided with the death of his child, prior to that he scored 2 hat tricks in 3 weeks against Norwich and spurs in the league. Maybe he's totally finished this time and won't come back, at his age it's harder obviously, but plenty of players have lost form for a year and then come back, we only have to look at rashford within our own squad.
Portugal don't have to factor his wages in, which any club side looking to sign him would, so there's far less downsides to having him in the squad, whereas a club would be stuck with at least 10m in wages if he's not performing
Portugal don't have to factor his wages in, which any club side looking to sign him would, so there's far less downsides to having him in the squad, whereas a club would be stuck with at least 10m in wages if he's not performing
The thing is, even if that were the case, the club side will eventually drag his level down. When you're not competing regularly against the best talent, your standards drop and do affect your international performances. It's only a matter of time this happens.
Ronaldo will retire from the national team when he wants. Not a popsicles chance he will be pushed or dropped.
Most international caps in history. That's a testament to his longevity and taking care of his body( of course he's on some shit too)
You heard him lads, time to shutdown the site and go home.
Watching Premier League Icons on Sky tonight, Ronaldo being the focus.
Boy was absolutely magical for us - good to remind yourself of the first iteration sometimes. Otherworldly
Boy was absolutely magical for us - good to remind yourself of the first iteration sometimes. Otherworldly
Yeah having his toxic personality around at old Trafford and at the World Cup worked a treat.
Yeah, because every situation is exactly the same despite entirely different contexts...
People forget so easily, the recency bias with Ronaldo is unreal. 2006-09 Ronaldo had everything, tricks, dribbling, free kicks, long shots, pace, aerial ability, genuinely the most spectacular player I've ever seen play in the Premier League.
The amount of people angry about Ronaldo scoring goals it's crazy 
, he left us move on. He shouldn't have come here at 37 in the first place, the only time re signing him made sense would have been when he left Madrid.
, he left us move on. He shouldn't have come here at 37 in the first place, the only time re signing him made sense would have been when he left Madrid.At the old stat padding again tonight.
I assume ramos must have grabbed a couple of goals after replacing him since it's so easy and anyone can do it and he was playing against 10 men?
It is a wonder that no one else at international football ever thought about scoring goals against teams like this and ronaldo's ended up as the leading men's scorer, someone should have told some of the other European players that they're allowed to score against the weaker nations
That's 11 goals scored against Luxembourg
Back in his comfort zone of bullying European minnows with double digit populations that most people can’t find on a mapThat's 13 goals scored against Luxembourg
What an arrogant, narrow-minded post.Back in his comfort zone of bullying European minnows with double digit populations that most people can’t find on a map
Bit harsh on the Americans that.Back in his comfort zone of bullying European minnows with double digit populations that most people can’t find on a map
It's a shame that has recent years have soured his career. He's been an insane player but the latter half of 2022 he looked like a non-league player
It's strange that no other European attacker ever to gets to play these weaker sides. Obviously if they did play these teams they'd be scoring as many as Ronaldo doesBack in his comfort zone of bullying European minnows with double digit populations that most people can’t find on a map
Luxembourg's first defeat in 7 internationals. Drew their first game in the group 0-0 away at Slovakia.Back in his comfort zone of bullying European minnows with double digit populations that most people can’t find on a map
The only other time they've conceded more than 4 in the last 5 years was also against Portugal, with a Ronaldo hat trick.
So not many other teams / players 'bully' Luxembourg in the last 5 years. They're a much improved team, certainly in terms of how many they concede.
For a lot of players they didn’t have the desire to score against Luxembourg when they’re 38. Eusebio still has a better goals per game than him all this time, Ronaldo has just played 130 more games.
Why do you hate the guy so much?!