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Portugal manager Roberto Martinez reckons that the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo still has the quality to light up the stage in the UEFA Champions League.
The Champions League is considered the pinnacle of club football. Performances in the competition often serve as the defining metric of a player's club career.
Ronaldo is statistically the greatest-ever player to grace the stage. Apart from being a record five-time winner of the competition, he is also the all-time top scorer with 141 memorable strikes to his name. The Portugal captain left European football when he joined Al-Nassr on December 31, 2022, as a free agent.
Ronaldo had a remarkable 2023, scoring 54 goals for club and country. He ended up as the top scorer in world football, and the stats show that the 38-year-old is aging like a fine wine.
His international manager Roberto Martinez has now claimed that Ronaldo has become a lethal finisher and still has the prowess to rip apart the Champions League. He told The Times:
“Totally. He’s incredible with his capacity to really reinvent himself. This is not the player we saw in the first spell at Manchester United, he’s not a wide player. Now he’s a finisher, someone that understands quality of movement in the box, and is an incredible threat. And experienced.”
After tearing up the UEFA Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo is now weaving his magic in the AFC Champions League. His club Al-Nassr have reached the Round of 16 and will take on fellow Saudi club Al-Fayha in the first knockout stage.
Ronaldo has scored three goals and provided an assist in four appearances in the competition so far.
Roberto Martinez highlights incredible Cristiano Ronaldo trait
Cristiano Ronaldo, apart from being a generational talent, is one of the most dedicated footballers to ever live. Over the years, Ronaldo has finetuned his craft and is still delivering on the pitch.
Martinez has revealed how Ronaldo is still obsessed with being the best even in every training session he participates in. The Spanish manager told The Times (quotes via GOAL):
“Cristiano, first and foremost, is happy. What shocked me was how fresh he is with his approach in football: someone of 38 comes to training and wants to win every exercise, win every race and is the last one leaving.”
Cristiano Ronaldo is once again set to be Portugal's best attacking threat when the 2016 European champions travel to Germany for the 2024 UEFA Euro next summer. They are in Group F alongside the Czech Republic and Turkey, with the fourth team yet to be decided.
