“He played an individual sport in a team’s environment” - Ex-Germany midfielder hits out at Cristiano Ronaldo's subpar Euro 2024 display
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo's performances at Euro 2024. The Portugal captain was underwhelming, failing to score even once and bagging a solitary assist in five games.
Hamann claimed Ronaldo played for himself and did not help the team during the tournament. Portugal weren't great and eventually suffered elimination in the quarter-finals after losing 5-3 on penalties to France following a goalless 120 minutes.
Speaking after the conclusion of Euro 2024 to TopOffshoreSportsBooks, Hamann said about Ronaldo (via DAZN):
"He doesn't care about anyone but himself. He did pretty good at it, you've got to give him credit. He played an individual sport in a team's environment, in a team's game, won a lot of things, got a lot of goals, and he showed how good he was."
"But I think it was just a shame. He could have gone out of this tournament a hero if he cared about the team, if he showed he was a team player. He pretended to be for one or two games, but then he went back to his old ways," the former German midfielder added.
With the European Championship concluded, it isn't sure if Ronaldo, 39, will continue representing his national team. The next major international competition is the 2026 FIFA World Cup, by which time the Real Madrid legend will be well over 40.
His club contract with his Saudi Arabian employer Al-Nassr also expires in the summer of 2025.
Danny Murphy slams Cristiano Ronaldo's performance in Euro 2024 quarter-final
Much like most of Euro 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to influence proceedings in Portugal's quarter-final defeat to France. Despite A Selecao having options on the bench, the former Manchester United superstar played all 120 minutes.
Hinting at the fact that the substitute striker Goncalo Ramos must be thinking as to what his role in the team could be, BBC co-commentator Murphy said (via Daily Mail):
"I'd be having conversations with the manager. It does seem ridiculous at times that he keeps Ronaldo on when he is having no impact. He kind of must be thinking, what was he brought here for?"
Overall, Ramos made just one appearance off the bench in Euro 2024, which lasted 24 minutes in an inconsequential group-stage game against Georgia. He famously scored a hat-trick in Portugal's 6-1 win over Switzerland in the Round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup.