“Never doubt him” - Piers Morgan hails Cristiano Ronaldo as GOAT after penalty shootout win over Slovenia
Popular journalist Piers Morgan has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest ever following Portugal's win over Slovenia in the Round of 16 of Euro 2024. Monday's fixture (July 1) saw the Portuguese battle hard to beat their opponents 3-0 on penalties after playing out a goalless draw in normal time.
A large reason for Roberto Martinez's team heading into a shootout had to do with Ronaldo's miss from the spot in extra time. He had his spot kick saved by Jan Oblak, a goal that would have potentially sealed the tie.
However, the Al-Nassr striker came back strong, leading his side in the shootout and converting the team's first penalty. Lavishing praise on the 39-year-old, Morgan wrote on his X account while posting a picture of Ronaldo in a Portugal shirt (formerly Twitter):
"Never doubt him. There's a reason he's the greatest of all time."
Despite praise from Morgan and his Portugal coach, among others, Ronaldo may be worried about his goalscoring touch in Euro 2024 so far. He hasn't found the net in four appearances but has one assist to his name.
This could be a major worry for the Portuguese as they head into a difficult quarter-final tie against France on Friday (July 5). Les Bleus only allowed their Round-of-16 opponents, Belgium, five attempts at goal, out of which just two tested Mike Maignan.
Ex-Liverpool star Didi Hamann slams Cristiano Ronaldo after his penalty miss v Slovenia
Not everyone is willing to back Cristiano Ronaldo after his penalty miss against Slovenia on Monday. Among those is former Liverpool player Didi Hamann, who has slammed the Saudi Pro League attacker for his latest performance.
Although Ronaldo converted his spot kick in the shootout, it was Diogo Costa's three saves that truly earned his nation a spot in the final eight. Speaking to Irish TV station RTE, Hamann said (via GOAL):
"Thirty-nine-year-old plays 120 minutes, he misses a penalty and I've got to say, I bought into all that ' Ronaldo has turned into a team player because he needs the team more than he used to'. I bought into that nonsense as well, but I think he showed his true colors again tonight."
Despite these comments, Ronaldo will be expected to start against France. To date, he's made 211 appearances across competitions for Portugal, bagging 130 goals.