"He is a player of utmost importance for our national team" - Portugal star makes Cristiano Ronaldo claim in Netflix docuseries
Portugal playmaker Bernardo Silva has waxed lyrical about Cristiano Ronaldo, stressing how important the Al-Nassr superstar is to their national team.
Silva and Ronaldo are two of Selecao das Quinas' superstars and they were instrumental as Roberto Martinez's side qualified for Euro 2024. The latter posted 10 goals and two assists in nine games during his nation's European Championships qualifying campaign.
That tally took the 38-year-old's overall tally for Portugal to 128 goals and 46 assists in 205 caps. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is international football's all-time top goalscorer.
Silva gave a glowing verdict of Ronaldo in the new Netflix documentary 'Captains of the World'. The Manchester City attacker said (via CristianoXtra):
"Cristiano is a natural-born goal scorer and can, at any moment, influence the course of the game. He is a player of utmost importance for our national team."
Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal back in August 2003, aged 18. He's gone on to become his national team's captain and won the European Championships with Selecao in 2016.
The five-time UEFA Champions League winner will likely be playing at his last Euros when he makes the trip to Germany next year. He will be eager to fire Martinez's side to glory and put his 2022 FIFA World Cup woes behind him.
Portugal have already learned who they will start their Euro 2024 campaign against next year. Martinez's men have been drawn in Group C alongside Turkey, the Czech Republic, and Play-off winner C.
Roberto Martinez talks up Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo's mentality
Martinez has admitted he was shocked by Cristiano Ronaldo's work ethic after being appointed Portugal manager in January 2023. The Spanish tactician spoke of the legendary forward's desire to always win, telling The Times:
"Cristiano, first and foremost, is happy. What shocked me was how fresh he is with his approach in football: someone of 38 [years old] comes to training and wants to win every exercise, win every race and is the last one leaving."
Ronaldo helped Selecao qualify for Euro 2024 with a remarkable record of 10 wins in 10 games. Martinez's men scored 36 goals and conceded just two in a terrific qualifying campaign.
However, Ronaldo isn't only rolling back the years on the international stage but also at Al-Nassr. He's bagged 23 goals and 11 assists in 24 games across competitions this season and is the Saudi Pro League's current top scorer.