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Portugal legend Luis Figo recently spoke about his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, admiring his longevity and ability.
Ronaldo is set to feature in the UEFA Euro 2024, making it his sixth appearance in the competition. He led Portugal to the Euro triumph in 2016. There has been a lot of speculation around the forward's future over the years but he is still going strong at 39 years old.
Meanwhile, Luis Figo, who retired in 2009, shared the pitch 23 times with the former Real Madrid forward at Portugal. In a recent interview with Marca, Figo was asked if he's surprised that Cristiano Ronaldo is still going strong with club and country. He answered:
"He's an animal, he's the most competitive guy I've seen after me [laughs]. I'm kidding. He continues to score goals and always will, because a player with that essence and that gift... I am happy for him, because he is going to end his career scoring goals and when he decides, playing in great championships."
Cristiano Ronaldo had a poor 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign, scoring just once in five appearances. He even started on the bench in the knockout games as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Morocco.
However, the Al-Nassr star bounced back brilliantly and scored 10 goals in nine UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers appearances. A Selecao won all of their 10 games, keeping nine clean sheets.
Cristiano Ronaldo set to feature in upcoming friendlies with Portugal
In the final international break of the season, Portugal will face Sweden and Slovenia in friendlies. Cristiano Ronaldo will again lead his side as they prepare for the Euro 2024 in the summer in Germany.
A Selecao will host Sweden at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on Thursday, March 21. They will then travel to face Slovenia at the Stozice Stadium on Tuesday, March 26.
Cristiano Ronaldo was in terrific form during the Qualifiers and has been in good form for his club as well. He has scored 30 goals and provided 11 assists in 33 games across competitions for Al-Nassr this campaign. He will hope to continue this form going into the Euros in the summer.
Following some more friendlies in June, Portugal will begin their Euro 2024 campaign. They have been drawn in Group F alongside Turkey and Czech Republic. The fourth place will go to the winner of the Path C playoffs - Georgia, Kazakhstan, Greece or Luxembourg.
