Tag: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo was named in Portugal’s squad on Friday for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg.

Former European champions Portugal sit top of Group J in qualifying for next year’s finals in Germany.

They face Slovakia in Bratislava next Friday before hosting Luxembourg three days later.

“A player with 200 appearances, that’s something unique,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez of Ronaldo, who has scored five goals in four qualifying games so far.

“I can tell you I’m very happy to have Cristiano Ronaldo in my team.”

The 38-year-old Ronaldo, who now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia, celebrated his 200th international appearance with the winner in a 1-0 victory over Iceland last time out for Portugal in June.

Martinez also included Saudi-based midfielders Otavio and Ruben Neves in his squad and called up uncapped Wolves full-back Toti.

Portugal squad for Euro 2024 Qualifiers:

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto/POR), Jose Sa (Wolves/ENG), Rui Patricio (Roma/ITA)

Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United/ENG), Nelson Semedo (Wolves/ENG), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City/ENG), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Ruben Dias (Manchester City/ENG), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting Lisbon), Toti (Wolves/ENG).

Midfielders (6): Joao Palhinha (Fulham/ENG), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal/KSA), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/ENG), Otavio (Al-Nassr/KSA), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City/ENG)

Forwards (7): Ricardo Horta (Braga), Rafael Leao (AC Milan/ITA), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr/KSA), Pedro Neto (Wolves/ENG), Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Diogo Jota (Liverpool/ENG).

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr qualified for the Asian Champions League group stage after they secured an injury-time victory against Shabab Al Ahli in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The Saudi Pro League side came from behind to triumph 4-2 in the play-off at Mrsool Park, with Brazilian Anderson Talisca scoring twice and Croatia international Marcelo Brozovic rounding off the win.

Al Nassr had been two minutes from exiting the tournament.

The result means Al Nassr, runners-up domestically last season, move into the group phase, which begins next month.

Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time UEFA Champions League winner, was making his debut in Asian football’s top club competition after signing for the Riyadh club last December.

Al Nassr opened the scoring in 11 minutes when Taslica headed home a Brozovic corner. However, Yahya Al Ghassani levelled for UAE champions Shabab Al Ahli seven minutes later, the winger slotting the ball into the Nassr net after the Dubai side countered.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, left the pitch at half-time clearly frustrated and could be seen arguing with the referee. The Portuguese star, the Nassr captain, believed he should have had two penalties in the first half.

Then, one minute after half-time, Al Ghassani raced clear of the Al Nassr defence to flick the ball over Nawaf Al Aqidi and put Shabab Al Ahli in front.

However, Al Nassr equalised with two minutes of normal time remaining, when full-back Sultan Al Ghannam’s header was diverted into his own goal by Walid Abbas.

Al Nassr’s comeback was complete five minutes into the allotted seven minutes of injury time, with Talisca nodding home from close range.

Moments later, as Shabab Al Ahli chased the equaliser, Ronaldo teed up Brozovic to drill his shot into the net and make safe the game.

Elsewhere in the west zone, UAE side Sharjah qualified for the tournament proper with a 3-1 victory away to Iran’s Tractor FC, while Uzbekistan’s Navbahor Namangan defeated Al Wakrah of Qatar 1-0 after extra time.

In Tuesday’s other play-off, Uzbek side AGMK Olmaliq defeated Qatar’s Al Arabi 1-0.

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Bayern Munich announced on Saturday that Senegalese striker Sadio Mane was in talks “about a change of club” with reports suggesting he was destined for Saudi side Al Nassr.

The German champions left Mane out of a friendly match in Tokyo, posting on social media: “Sadio Mane is in contract negotiations about a change of club and is therefore not in the line-up today.”

The 31-year-old former Liverpool star is expected to become the latest high-profile player to join the cash-rich Saudi league.

As Bild and Kicker magazine reported Sadio Mane was on his way for a medical with Al Nassr, and Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel declined to be drawn on the player’s future.

“We are still in the transfer window and I would like to see what’s going on and wait and see how things will happen,” he told reporters after Bayern’s 1-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale in Japan.

Sadio Mane would be another major signing for the club that pulled off the first coup of a raft of signings by Saudi clubs, luring Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Mane won the Champions League and Premier League in six seasons with Liverpool and was a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s devastating front three with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

When Liverpool won their first English league title for 30 years in the pandemic-disrupted 2019-2020 season, Mane scored 18 goals.

But in the summer of 2022, when he won the African Player of the Year, Mane decided he wanted a new challenge — unconfirmed rumours said he had tired of sharing the limelight with Egypt’s Salah at Anfield.

Bayern made a big play for Mane, promising to make him the focal point of an attack which had just lost the services of Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona.

After a strong start to the season at Bayern, it soon become clear that Mane was not clicking in Bavaria.

In a Bundesliga game against Werder Bremen in November, Mane suffered an injury to his fibula and his season was put on hold.

The injury forced him to miss the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year in a crushing blow to Senegal’s chances.

While Sadio Mane returned to the Bayern team in 2023, his problems were underlined when he became involved in a physical altercation with teammate Leroy Sane following a Champions League defeat to Manchester City.

Bayern reportedly fined Mane around 350,000 euros ($385,000) and gave him a one-match suspension for his part in the incident.

He ended the season with an underwhelming 12 goals in 38 games across all competitions.

He is set to quit Bayern with two years left on his contract.

On the international stage, Sadio Mane helped Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022.

Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo Al Nassr have also signed this summer Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, Brazil full-back Alex Telles and Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana.

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Cristiano Ronaldo was replaced at half-time as Al Nassr drew 1-1 with Champions League finalists Inter Milan in the second game of their pre-season tour in Japan on Thursday.

Abdulrahman Ghareeb opened the scoring for Al Nassr midway through the first half before Davide Frattesi equalised for Inter a minute before half-time.

Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr from Manchester United in January, a moment that brought Saudi football to world attention.

Since then, the Public Investment Fund — one of the world’s richest sovereign wealth funds — has continued to recruit players for Saudi clubs from Europe’s biggest leagues, including France striker Karim Benzema who joined Al Ittihad from Real Madrid.

Alex Telles followed in Ronaldo’s footsteps by signing for Al Nassr from United on Sunday, making his first start in Osaka.

The Brazilian left-back created the first clear chance in the 20th minute, but compatriot Talisca’s header was saved by Inter goalkeeper Filip Stankovic.

Cristiano Ronaldo then sent an ambitious effort from range wide two minutes later before Ghareeb struck in the 23rd minute, guiding home beautifully as the ball dropped to him from a chipped Talisca pass.

Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa both spurned opportunities to equalise for Inter, but Frattesi made no mistake with a header from a Denzel Dumfries cross in the 44th minute.

Cristiano Ronaldo was one of many to depart at the break, as both Al Nassr manager Luis Castro and his Inter counterpart Simone Inzaghi opted to make mass substitutions.

Martinez went on to miss a couple of gilt-edged chances in the second period but neither team could break the deadlock, leaving Al Nassr with their second draw of the week after a 0-0 against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

PSG are next up for Inter, with the European heavyweights set to meet in Tokyo next Tuesday.

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Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday, asserted that Saudi League “is better” than the Major League Soccer (MLS) and that he has no plans to play in the United States nor to return to Europe.

Ronaldo spoke to the media after featuring in Al-Nassr’s 0-5 defeat to La Liga side Celta Vigo in the pre-season friendly in Portugal.

The Portuguese superstar, when asked about whether he is planning to join his great rival Lionel Messi in the United States, said Saudi League is better and it will continue to grow with the arrival of more prominent names.

“The Saudi league is better than MLS,” said Ronaldo.

“Now all the players are coming here,” Ronaldo said. “In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia.”

“I opened the way to the Saudi league, and now all the players are coming here.”

Notably, numerous top players made a move to Saudi Arabia after Cristiano Ronaldo’s shocking yet huge deal with Al Nassr estimated at 200 million euros.

Top amongst them was Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who left Real Madrid at the end of the 2022-23 season and joined Ronaldo’s Al Nassr’s rival club Al-Ittihad.

Furthermore, N’Golo Kante from Chelsea also joined Benzema in Al-Ittihad.

Notably, Ronaldo’s great rival Lionel Messi had also been in talks with Saudi Arabia prior to his deal with MLS club Inter Miami.

The Argentine World Cup winner inked the deal with Inter Miami this week on a contract which binds him to stay with the club till 2025.

Following his deal, “America’s number 10” Lionel Messi was unveiled at Inter Miami in a glittering ceremony at Miami’s 20,000-capacity stadium, which was close to full despite a huge thunderstorm just before the event.

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India’s footballer Sunil Chhetri came up with a shocking comparison as he claimed himself to be better than star footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to representing the national team.

Sunil Chhetri, who has been leading India’s national football team for over a decade is considered one of the most decorated footballers in India’s history. The striker is in the list of the top 10 highest goal scorers alongside Ronaldo and Messi.

The star Indian footballer denied any comparison of him with the rest of the leading goal scorers before claiming that he could be even better when it comes to representing the national team.

“There’s no comparison with the rest of the nine names on the list. I mean, I am a fan of players like Ronaldo and Messi, just like so many other fans of them. There’s just no comparison, and I don’t take this list, or whatever this list is, too seriously. But, yes, when it comes to representing the national team, I can be even better than them,” Chhetri said.

“Right now, international football is such that no one knows what will happen, and underdogs, too, can win! You just never know what is going to happen in football. That’s why we have to give our best, and that’s a message I am trying to send to the rest of the team,” he added.

Earlier this month, Sunil Chhetri led India to South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship title victory and finished the tournament as the leading goal-scorer and was also named the Player of the Tournament.

Speaking about the tournament, Sunil Chhetri gratefully acknowledged the support and encouragement that he and the rest of the Indian team had received.

“It has been great, the support, right from day 1 (of the tournament). On the pitch, the way fans were and encouraged us throughout the game was something special and something magical. Also, the fact that Kuwait and Lebanon — who were India’s opponents in the final and the semi-finals, respectively — are not exactly SAFF teams. They were invited, and they are really good quality sides. So beating them, competitions like them, also felt great.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late winner on his 200th international appearance as Portugal beat Iceland 1-0 on Tuesday to maintain their perfect start to Euro 2024 qualifying.

The 38-year-old striker steered in from close range in the 89th minute for his 123rd Portugal goal on a night he also extended his men’s international caps record in Reykjavik.

“For me it’s an unbelievable achievement, it’s amazing. And of course to score the winning goal, it’s even more special,” Ronaldo told UEFA.com.

“We didn’t play so well but sometimes football is like that,” added Cristiano Ronaldo, who made his international debut at 18 in August 2003.

“But we scored a goal and, in my opinion, we deserved it. I’m so happy because of 200 caps, but this is even more special.”

Cristiano Ronaldo received a bouquet of flowers and a certificate to commemorate the landmark occasion, the latest in a long list of records for the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star.

Having scored twice in each of Portugal’s qualifiers in March, albeit against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, Ronaldo failed to find the net in last week’s 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He was repeatedly caught offside against Iceland and headed narrowly over at corner early in the second half.

But he again silenced those who have doubted coach Roberto Martinez’s wisdom in calling him up, grabbing the winner after Iceland were reduced to 10 men with Willum Thor Willumsson sent off.

Goncalo Inacio knocked the ball across for Ronaldo to turn home in the 89th minute, with the goal initially ruled out for offside before the decision was overturned and the Portugal captain was mobbed by his team-mates.

Portugal are already cruising towards a place at next year’s European Championship in Germany, sitting top of Group J after scoring 14 goals without reply in four straight wins.

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RIYADH: Saudi Pro League has the potential to become a top-five league in the world if they can rope in more big names, said star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Cristiano Ronaldo, who has just completed his first season at the Saudi League after an extravagant deal with Al Nassr in December last year, maintained he enjoyed his time in the Gulf nation and confirmed that he “will continue with the team” next season.

“I am happy here, I want to continue here, I will continue here,” Ronaldo said in an interview with the SPL. 

“And in my opinion if they continue to do the work that they want to do here, for the next five years, I think the Saudi league can be a top-five league in the world,” he added.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner asserted that if more renowned faces joined the league, it would take the league’s status to new heights.

“If they are coming, big players and big names, young players, ‘old players’, they are very welcome because if that happens, the league will improve,” stated the 38-year-old.

Ronaldo’s assertion came amid heated speculations about Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric’s prospective moves to the Saudi League.

World Cup winner Messi is all set to leave PSG after their last Ligue 1 fixture on Saturday, confirms the team’s coach Christophe Galtier on Thursday.

The Argentinian forward is likely to play in Saudi Arabia next season under a very lucrative deal, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told AFP.

Similarly, Ronaldo’s former teammates at Real Madrid, Benzema and Modric, are also believed to be closing in on attractive deals from Saudi clubs.

“The league is very good but I think we have many opportunities to still grow. The league is competitive. We have very good teams, very good Arab players.” added Ronaldo, who holds the records for most international goals and appearances.

“But they need to improve a little bit more the infrastructure. Even the referees, the VAR system, should be a little quicker.” he concluded.

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RIYADH: Star player Cristiano Ronaldo has been making headlines due to his unexpected celebration after scoring a match-winner for Al-Nassr as he bowed for a Sujud followed by his trademark celebration.

Cristiano Ronaldo performed a Sujud, the act of low bowing or prostration to Allah facing the qiblah (direction of the Kabba at Mecca).

The star footballer then followed it up with his trademark “Siiuuu” celebration.

@Cristiano performing Sajood after leading Al-Nassar to crucial victory to stay Alive in Saudi league. What a sight. May Allah guide him to right path. Aameen#Al_NassarvsAl_Shahab #CristianoRonaldo #Ronaldo𓃵 pic.twitter.com/OWXsIlyWLE

— Khawaja Haris Ismail (@H_I_khawaja) May 24, 2023

 

The Portuguese great struck the match-winner in the 59th minute as Al Nassr fought back from 0-2 down to keep their title hopes alive in the Saudi Pro League.

The Riyadh derby was a crucial encounter for the second-placed Al Nassr as a defeat would mean that the leader Al-Ittihad, which beat Al-Batin 1-0 earlier, would be crowned the champions of the Saudi Pro League with two games to spare.

Cristian Guanca opened the scoring for Al-Shabab from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after Luiz Gustavo was booked for handball.

Guanca then struck again to double their lead in the 40th minute but the advantage was shortlived as Talisca struck to reduce the deficit for Al Nassr.

Abdulrahman Ghareeb then equalised in the 51st minute after being left unmarked in the box and slotting home from close range.

Cristiano Ronaldo put Al Nassr ahead just before the hour mark, racing past two defenders and curling a shot into the top corner from the outside of the area.

It is worth mentioning here that it was Ronaldo’s 14th goal for Al Nassr since joining the club after FIFA World Cup.

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LUXEMBOURG: Cristiano Ronaldo remains a “very important” player for Portugal, coach Roberto Martinez said on Sunday after the veteran striker scored a second successive brace in Euro 2024 qualifying against Luxembourg.

The 38-year-old opened the scoring for the Euro 2016 winners by turning in Nuno Mendes’ header and slotted home another in the 31st minute as Portugal won 6-0.

Ronaldo, who also netted twice against Liechtenstein on Thursday, increased his records of most men’s international appearances and goals to 198 and 122 respectively.

“Cristiano is a unique player in the world, with the highest number of international caps,” said Martinez, who has restored Ronaldo to the starting line-up after he was dropped during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“The experience he has for the dressing room is very important.

“All players have an important role. The younger ones due to their willingness to play and players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Rui Patricio and Bernardo Silva bring experience.

“It’s important to have a complete dressing room.”

Martinez joined Portugal after the World Cup, replacing Fernando Santos who had been in charge since 2014.

The Spaniard has enjoyed a fine start, with his team already two points clear at the top of Group J having scored 10 goals without reply.

Joao Felix, Bernardo Silva, Otavio and Rafael Leao were all also on the scoresheet in Luxembourg.

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