"He will turn up and prove his doubters from the group stages wrong" - Pundit backs Cristiano Ronaldo to shine in Euro 2024 knockouts
Former Liverpool defender turned pundit Jose Enrique has backed Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to shine in Euro 2024 knockout stage. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has failed to score in the group stage in a major competition for the first time in his career.
Enrique, though, has backed the Al-Nassr superstar to silence his critics in the knockout stages of Euro 2024. The Spaniard said that while Portugal don't have an easy draw in the last 16 against Slovenia, he still backed Cristiano Ronaldo to find his goalscoring boots. The former Liverpool and Valencia left-back said, as quoted by Goal:
"Portugal’s round of 16 game against Slovenia is where Cristiano Ronaldo will turn up. He didn’t have the best group stage and was criticised for his performances.
"I don’t think Slovenia is an easy game for Portugal, but I think they will win the game 1-0 with Cristiano scoring the winner. He will turn up and prove his doubters from the group stages wrong, as he has done so often in the past."
Portugal topped their group in Euro 2024 having won two games and lost one. They beat Czechia and Turkiye 2-1 and 3-0 respectively but lost 2-0 to Georgia.
Cristiano Ronaldo has provided one assist in three games in the Euros so far. He holds the record for most appearances and most goals at the international stage, scoring 130 goals in 210 games for his country.
The football great is still at the top of his game even at the age of 39 and enjoyed a stellar season with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League last time out. He scored 44 goals and provided 13 assists in 45 appearances last season.
Bernardo Silva opens up on Cristiano Ronaldo's feelings after Portugal's 2-0 loss against Georgia at Euro 2024
Manchester City and Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva has insisted that his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo 'doesn't like to lose'. He claimed that the former Manchester United and Real Madrid attacker is still upset after Portugal's shock 2-0 loss against Georgia.
The Selecao's group-stage campaign in Euro 2024 ended in a surprise defeat at the hands of Georgia. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze found the back of the net for Willy Sagnol's side as Georgia recorded their first-ever win in the Euros. While shedding light on how Ronaldo reacted to the defeat, the Manchester City star said:
"He doesn't like to lose, so he's still a bit upset. Obviously, all of us deal in different ways with the feelings and bad performances. As I said, it was a game we wanted to win. Even though we didn't win, we're still in good form to perform well in the last 16."
Silva added:
"Its a tough tournament, no easy games for anyone. We were already qualified, but we still wanted to win. Not a good result for us, but we're still here, first in the group. We've got a tough game in the last 16 [against Slovenia] but we're very confident."
Portugal will take on Slovenia in the Round of 16 of Euro 2024 on July 1 as they look to clinch their second European Championship trophy.