Ronaldo: 'I'm better after leaving Man Utd'
"There is no time for regrets in this life. Even if we don't do so well, it's part of life," Ronaldo said on March 22 at a press conference before the match against Liechtenstein in the qualifying round. Euro 2024. "When we were at the top of the mountain, it was hard to see what was below and many times I couldn't. I feel I'm better prepared now because I can see some things. Now I'm a better person."
This season, Ronaldo fell when he lost his starting position at Man Utd and scored only three goals, including one in the Premier League and two in the Europa League. The 38-year-old striker had many conflicts with the new coach Erik ten Hag, including refusing to enter the field in the last minutes and leaving early in the match against Tottenham.
Just before joining the Portuguese team for the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo publicly criticized Ten Hag and Man Utd in a 90-minute chat on Piers Morgan Uncensored. More than a week later, the Old Trafford owner decided to terminate the contract half a year early with this striker. He then accepted the invitation to Saudi Arabia, joining Al Nassr club on a two-year contract.
"I think everything in life happens for a reason. I'm usually grateful when going through some tough times to know who's really with me. It's not a good period in my career, in life. mine, on both a personal and professional level," Ronaldo added of his last half year at Old Trafford.
New Portugal coach Roberto Martinez still sees Ronaldo as part of his plan towards Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup. After replacing former coach Fernando Santos, he went to Saudi Arabia to discuss with Ronaldo about continuing to contribute to the team. team. Since joining Al Nassr after the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo has scored eight goals in nine games in all competitions.
"All options are laid out after the 2022 World Cup," Ronaldo said of the possibility of parting the team after the tournament in Qatar. "I spoke with my family and we agreed that it's not yet time for me to leave the national team. I've learned a lot from that and am very happy to be back. Coach Martinez wants me on the team, and I feel like I'm back. I still have a lot to offer."
If playing at Jose Alvalade - Sporting's home ground today, Ronaldo will monopolize the position of the most international player. At the national team level, the Portuguese striker holds the record of 118 goals, and shares the record for the number of matches (196) as Bader Al-Mutawa for Kuwait. "Records are always positive," Ronaldo said. "That's my motivation. I love to break records and this record is special. I would be really proud if it happened, but I want to keep playing more and more and I don't want to stop yet."
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced the termination of the contract of coach Fernando Santos two years early, five days after losing to Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. He led the homeland team for eight years, helping Portugal for the first time. won the Euro 2016 and the Nations League in 2019. Santos is also the coach with the most matches and won the most matches in Portuguese history. In 109 matches under Santos, Portugal won 67, drew 23 and lost 19 matches.
"This is a new chapter for everyone, both the players, the members and the team," Ronaldo said of changing coaches in the national team. "We feel energized. It's a breath of fresh air. I'm not saying it's better or worse than before, but sometimes in life changes are positive. There are new ideas, a new thinking. You can see it. You can feel the change and that's good for all."
Today, Portugal started qualifying for Euro 2024 with a match against Liechtenstein on March 23 and then as a guest of Luxembourg on March 26. Portugal's remaining opponents in Group J are Bosnia, Slovakia and Iceland.
