Quitting Portugal never crossed my mind, says Cristiano Ronaldo
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(From left) Portugal's Ruben Dias, Diogo Dalot and Cristiano Ronaldo at a training session in Lisbon on Sept 2.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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LISBON – Portugal’s star forward Cristiano Ronaldo dismissed suggestions that he had considered ending his international career in the near future, adding that post-Euro 2024 criticism did not worry him.
The Portuguese host Croatia in their Nations League opener on Sept 5 during this international break, before welcoming Scotland three days later.
“That’s all from the press. It never crossed my mind that my cycle (with Portugal) had come to an end,” the 39-year-old Ronaldo said on Sept 2.
“Quite the opposite, as it gave me even more motivation... The motivation is to come to the national team to win the Nations League. We’ve already won it once and we want to do it again. I might say the same thing over and over again, but I don’t think long term, it’s always short term.”
Ronaldo captained Portugal to success in the opening edition of the Nations League in 2018-19, three years after they became European champions for the first time in France.
“Until the end of my career, I will always have the mindset that I will be a starter,” he added.
“What I feel at the moment, and the coach’s (Roberto Martinez) words also demonstrate this, is that I continue to be an asset to the national team and I will be the first (to admit it) if that isn’t the case.
“When I’m (no longer) an asset, I will be the first to leave. But I will go with a clear conscience, as always, because I know who I am, what I can do, and what I will continue to do.”
He also appeared untroubled by criticism he faced for failing to score at Euro 2024, where Portugal lost to France in the quarter-finals following a penalty shoot-out.
“Criticism is great because if it doesn’t exist, there’s no progress,” the Al-Nassr striker said.
“So I try to follow my path, be as professional as possible, help in the best way possible with my professionalism and not just with goals, assists... Because football is much more than just playing well or scoring a goal.”
While Portugal are looking to bounce back after Euro 2024, Italy coach Luciano Spalletti pledged to rebuild his team after their similarly disappointing performance at the tournament, which was won by Spain.
The Azzurri exited the competition in Germany in the round of 16, following a 2-0 defeat by Switzerland.
“When we talk about failure at the Euro, we need to be more precise in our analysis because in my opinion, it only relates to the game against Switzerland, which was very bad,” Spalletti said.
“Now, we turn a new page and from now on, we have to think more about our identity. I am going to create a new group, a new team, putting less pressure on them and hopefully, they feel the beauty of the Azzurri shirt even more.
“I think this is the time to try something different, which inevitably means excluding some players.”
Italy coach Luciano Spalletti pledged to rebuild his team after their disappointing performance at Euro 2024.
PHOTO: AFP
The 65-year-old added that he wanted to give his side more freedom on the pitch, mirroring the approach that he used when leading Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years in 2023.
“We are dealing with a team that has a lot of quality, and a massive possibility of reaching higher levels,” Spalletti said.
“What you do in the game makes all the difference, and we will try to give them more freedom to put their quality into practice, because the players have quality.”
Italy play Nations League matches against France on Sept 6 and Israel in Budapest on Sept 9.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, meanwhile, announced that Joshua Kimmich will succeed Ilkay Gundogan as his new captain after the Manchester City midfielder retired from international football.
Kimmich, who plays as a right-back or midfielder for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, will lead Germany when they host Hungary in the Nations League in Dusseldorf on Sept 7.
The Germans, who lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals,
