Cristiano Ronaldo stood among his Portuguese teammates, a tableau of disappointment etched on his face. Hands on hips, lips pressed into a thin line, his gaze was lost in the sea of Portuguese fans behind the goal. Around him, Rúben Dias and Nuno Mendes, the defensive stalwarts who had contained the electrifying French star Kylian Mbappé, led a round of applause for the supporters. Ronaldo joined in, a gesture of acknowledgment, before turning to embrace Pepe. In that moment with Pepe, his long-time comrade in countless footballing battles, the veteran defender facing what could be his final international tournament at 41, emotions ran high. Pepe wept, and Ronaldo offered words of comfort, whispering into his ear.
In that poignant scene, Ronaldo appeared simply as one of the team, sharing in the collective despair. He didn’t embody the larger-than-life persona of Cristiano Ronaldo, the GOAT contender. This raises a critical question: could Portugal’s Euro 2024 narrative have been different if manager Roberto Martinez had recognized this sooner, if he had seen Ronaldo not as the central figure around whom everything revolved, but as a part of a larger, more dynamic whole?
It increasingly appears that Martinez’s strategy throughout this tournament – starting Ronaldo in every match, only substituting him in the final group game against Georgia when qualification was already assured – prioritized providing Ronaldo with endless opportunities to add to his legendary status, possibly at the expense of optimizing Portugal’s chances of securing victory in Euro 2024.
The Weight of Expectation: Ronaldo’s Role in Portugal’s Euro 2024
From the outset, Roberto Martinez seemed to construct Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign around Cristiano Ronaldo. The tactical framework was visibly tailored to maximize Ronaldo’s strengths and mitigate his limitations in this stage of his career. Rafael Leão, positioned on the left flank, maintained a high position during defensive phases, ensuring a rapid outlet for counter-attacks, a strategy designed to quickly transition play towards Ronaldo. Bruno Fernandes was granted a roving brief, frequently venturing into the box to act almost as a second striker, providing closer support to Ronaldo in attacking positions. Bernardo Silva and João Cancelo on the right side were tasked with delivering crosses, feeding balls into the areas where Ronaldo typically operates with lethal efficiency. Even set-piece strategies, such as corner kicks, appeared engineered with Ronaldo in mind, often involving Pepe and Ronaldo occupying opposing center-backs to create space for Ronaldo’s aerial prowess.
This Ronaldo-centric approach did yield positive results initially, particularly in the qualifying stages. Against France, for a significant portion of the match, Portugal arguably generated the more clear-cut scoring opportunities. However, this initial success masked a growing concern.
Numbers Don’t Lie: Ronaldo’s Tournament Stats
The statistical data paints a stark picture of Ronaldo’s Euro 2024 campaign. He unleashed 23 shots throughout the tournament, a figure surpassed only by players who actually managed to score, in the history of the Euros since the group stage format was introduced in 1980. Even more damning is his expected goals (xG) metric of 3.51 – the highest xG without scoring at any major men’s tournament since 1980.
Perhaps Martinez, aware of Ronaldo’s remarkable record of scoring in every major tournament he had participated in (five World Cups and five Euros), operated under the assumption that a goal was inevitable, that statistical probability would eventually swing in Ronaldo’s favor. This line of thinking is akin to betting on an underdog team simply because “their win is due,” ignoring the underlying performance indicators.
While Ronaldo undeniably enjoyed a prolific season in the Saudi Pro League, and statistical regression to the mean is a recognized phenomenon, the critical factor in a knockout tournament is time – a luxury that simply doesn’t exist. In a knockout format, one misstep can eliminate you. Even for legendary players like Ronaldo, periods of reduced scoring efficiency are a reality.
Age and Agility: Moments that Showed a Shift
Beyond the cold statistics, there were on-field indicators that should have signaled a need for tactical adjustments. During extra time against France, a telling moment unfolded. Young Francisco Conceição surged past a defender and delivered a precise cutback pass to Ronaldo near the penalty spot. A younger Ronaldo, in his prime, would likely have dispatched that ball with composure into the top corner of the net. But “Old Ronaldo” – as the article poignantly phrases it – sent the opportunity soaring over the crossbar.
Shortly after, in a burst of seemingly desperate energy, Ronaldo initiated a solo pressing effort, sprinting towards Dayot Upamecano. Upamecano easily shrugged him off and cleared the ball. In his peak years, Ronaldo would have anticipated the play, intercepted the pass, spun past Upamecano, and unleashed a shot past Mike Maignan. Even in a physical contest, the younger Ronaldo would have been the one imposing his will, not the other way around.
As the quote from “The Wire” aptly reminds us: “The thing about the old days is… they the old days.”
Echoes of the Past: Learning from the World Cup
The irony is that the issue of Ronaldo’s diminishing effectiveness in a high-intensity, team-oriented system had already been addressed by Martinez’s predecessor, Fernando Santos. At the Qatar World Cup, just 18 months prior, Santos made the bold decision to drop Ronaldo for the knockout stages. If Santos, who had coached Portugal for eight years, including Ronaldo’s prime, and who shared the historic Euro 2016 triumph with him, could make such a pivotal call, why did Martinez hesitate?
Especially considering Martinez’s background. He is not Portuguese, and he didn’t inherit the ingrained “Ronaldo-as-savior” mentality. He is an experienced, astute coach who has risen through the ranks. He was brought in precisely to offer an objective, fresh perspective.
Instead, Martinez appeared to have fully bought into the Ronaldo myth. On a night when Portugal, arguably, played better overall football – a credit to Martinez’s tactical setup which seemed to outmaneuver Didier Deschamps’ typically cautious approach – it seemed Martinez’s primary objective was not just to overcome France, but to ensure Ronaldo played a central, starring role in that victory.
Missed Opportunities and Martinez’s Gamble
Did Martinez lack faith in the abilities of Gonçalo Ramos or Diogo Jota to inject fresh dynamism and attacking threat from the bench, even for a limited period? Did he feel compelled to offer Ronaldo a chance at redemption after his missed penalty and subsequent late chance against Slovenia? If either of these were factors, it only compounds the questionable nature of the decision-making.
The Slovenia match, and the full 120 minutes Ronaldo played, should have served as a clear indication of the impact of fatigue on a 39-year-old player in a demanding tournament environment. Furthermore, Ronaldo, with his unparalleled list of achievements, is beyond needing to be “given” opportunities for redemption.
Was there an expectation that Ronaldo would proactively request to be substituted, acknowledging exhaustion and a lack of impact? Such an expectation is unrealistic. Elite athletes, particularly those of Ronaldo’s caliber, thrive on unwavering self-belief. Expecting him to voluntarily remove himself from the game is simply naive. In stark contrast, Kylian Mbappé, despite scoring his first European Championship goal against Poland, requested to be substituted in extra time, recognizing his own fatigue.
Beyond Ronaldo: Team Performance and Penalty Shootout
It’s crucial to state unequivocally that Portugal’s Euro 2024 exit cannot be solely attributed to Ronaldo playing 120 minutes. The immediate cause of defeat was the penalty shootout loss – João Félix’s crucial miss hitting the post while every other penalty taker converted. Furthermore, Portugal squandered numerous scoring opportunities throughout the match, from Rafael Leão in the first half to Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha after halftime, and Nuno Mendes in the dying moments of extra time.
However, the manner of Portugal’s departure from Euro 2024 leaves a lingering sense of what-could-have-been. The strong impression remains that Martinez became fixated on showcasing Ronaldo, perhaps believing that doing so would somehow solidify his already unassailable legacy.
Ronaldo’s legacy is secure. It needs no further preservation. Perhaps, if Roberto Martinez had recognized this earlier, if he had viewed Ronaldo simply as one member of a talented squad – as he appeared at the end, consoling teammates and acknowledging fans – Portugal might well have progressed to the Euro 2024 semifinals.
