What is the limit to greatness?

Municipal Stadium Engenheiro Manuel Branco Teixeira, Wednesday, August 20, 2003. The Portuguese team receives Kazakhstan in a friendly match.

At the end of the first half, the score was still 0-0. At the beginning of the second half, Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari made consecutive changes. In which captain Luis Figo was removed from the field and replaced by an 18-year-old player. Figo instructed his younger brother, “Just calm down. Just play like you’re at the club.

That 18-year-old player is Cristiano Ronaldo. In minutes, Ronaldo has proven his presence on the field. The forward swayed and dribbled in front of his opponent as if he wanted the world to know that this was his first game for the national team. When the final whistle sounded, Portugal won 1-0, Ronaldo was the owner of the assist and was selected as the best player of the match. Only 8,000 people watched the performance that day.

Ronaldo was then selected to participate in the final of Euro 2004. In the opening match against Greece, the player in jersey number 17 appeared and scored his first goal with the national team jersey.

16 years after the date of his first goal and 17 years after his Portuguese debut, Ronaldo has 101 goals for the national team. If you consider the goal against Greece or the match against Kazakhstan as the first hit in a chronicle, this is definitely a great and outstanding chronicle. CR7 scored their 100th goal for Portugal with a free kick, something that was less successful as he got older, and the next hit was another perfect shot from the outside. ban.

Two beautiful goals for brilliant milestones. “What I have done in my career says it all for myself. I don’t have to prove it to anyone. And when I have to prove it, I will prove it on the pitch, ”said the Portuguese captain after the game against Sweden. Yes, Ronaldo no longer has to prove himself to anyone. If it is to be proven, it is the 18-year-old who replaced Figo at Municipal Engenheiro Manuel Branco Teixeira 17 years ago, not the current 35-year-old. Simply because now that race is glorious enough.

As the second player to score 100 goals in the colors of a national team, behind former player Ali Daei (109 goals), he is like a jewel adding to a brilliant career. But behind those jewels there is a long journey of effort, practice, discipline, rigor with oneself and dedication. And everyone believes that Ronaldo can break the record of the legendary Iranians. The Portuguese forward still shows that he is fit and extremely rich in the desire to contribute to the Selecao jersey.

Next February, Ronaldo will turn 36 years old. It is undeniable that age has affected their physical strength. Ronaldo himself in the last 2 or 3 years has had to adjust his game to optimize and promote his best skills. In general, however, he was not a person who approached the finish line of his career. He is still a great striker, a world star, a team leader.

In November 2019, Portugal had two qualifying matches for the European Championship, the reception of Luxembourg and a visit to the Ukraine field. After a pre-match training session with Luxembourg, members of the Portuguese team returned to their hotel in Cascais on the outskirts of Lisbon. At that time, a friend from Greece visited coach Fernando Santos. Not only did he meet his friend, the man really wanted Ronaldo’s signature.

A moment later the Juventus forward arrived and they asked him where he was from. He replied that he is from Madeira. However, technician Santos’ friend said suddenly: “You are from another galaxy.”

A joke but surely everyone understands that it is a compliment for the Portuguese superstar. And maybe he was too used to those compliments. In the Madeira town of Fuchai there is a statue of him. Madeira’s hometown airport has been renamed Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport. The Sporting Lisbon club even planned to change the name of its stadium to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Meanwhile, last year’s Bleacher Report statistics said that, in addition to the Juventus superstar, 29 other Cristiano Ronaldo names appeared in the Portuguese Football Federation’s database system. These 29 players were born at different times, but all after CR7 started making their first professional game. Children in Portugal are now raised on the inspiration of the Madeira player. All of this represents an overwhelming influence.

We still often argue about who better than who in the match over the years between Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But with only Portuguese football, he was perhaps the best player for a long time.

The former Maniche player shared with Bleacher Report: “When Ronaldo played, Portugal became a much stronger opponent. We often hear people say that he is 50% of the team’s force. This is mainly because some of our players may be the best players for their club but not for the national team. Ronaldo is different. It seems that the Portuguese team is an extension of their home.

In that group, Ronaldo is not only the forward but also the leader without a doubt. Having Ronaldo on your side is a guarantee of morale and professional quality for Portuguese players. As Eder was about to take the field in the final of Euro 2016, the Real Madrid superstar told his teammate: “Be strong. You will score a goal to give yourself the victory. ”

Like the way Figo encouraged him every year, Ronaldo added motivation to the younger brother in that way. And it is true that Eder became the hero of Portugal.

Another story, before every home game in Lisbon, the Portuguese players and the coaching staff left the hotel in Cascais for a walk on the beach. This interval does not usually exceed 20 minutes. And when it was time to return, Ronaldo whistled again and used his hand to signal the turn of the body to his teammates. They all immediately followed him back to the hotel, which, as journalist Marcus Alves put it, was “like a pack of wolves.”

Midfielder Adrien Silva shared on FourFourTwo: “There are players who are born leaders and Ronaldo is one of them. He is the leader on the field and also in the dressing room, even in the routine of the Portuguese team. When the players leave the hotel for a walk, you will see him play the role of captain. Ronaldo just needs to show the action of converting people and everyone will follow. “

As a teenager encouraged by Figo in the first game, from tears at Euro 2004, Cristiano Ronaldo embarked on a great journey with the Portuguese team. And maybe that greatness doesn’t stop here with just the trophies or milestones you’ve set.

CG