The fortunes of Portugalu2019s national team have been inextricably linked with Cristiano Ronaldo for nearly two decades.
Is a new era upon us?
Ronaldo was in tears as he made his way to the locker room following Portugalu2019s 1-0 loss to Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.It remains to be seen if that was the last time the world saw Ronaldo on footballu2019s international stage. If it is, it marks a huge moment for the Portugal team, given Ronaldo is its captain, record scorer and greatest ever player. Thereu2019s a chance the team might also have a different coach for the first time since 2014 when qualification for the 2024 European Championship begins in March.
EXPECTATION VS. PERFORMANCEPortugal’s depth of quality warranted a minimum expectation of reaching the quarterfinals. The team won its first two games to breeze through the group round. For the last group-stage match against South Korea, which won 2-1 on a late goal, head coach Fernando Santos swapped the majority of his starting lineup. South Korea then destroyed Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16. Portugal wasted another opportunity to defeat Morocco in the quarterfinals despite Morocco’s excellent defence and standing as the tournament’s biggest surprise. In that regard, Ronaldo and his side likely underperformed overall.
WHOu2019S OUTThe soccer world is waiting to see if 37-year-old Ronaldo, who has made 196 appearances and scored 118 goals in 19 years with the national team, will call it a career. If Ronaldo does continue, it will probably only be for the Euro 2024 tournament and not the World Cup in 2026, when he will be 41 years old. Pepe, the centre defender, presumably played in his last major competition at the age of 39. More uncertain is Santos’ future, who took over Portugal in 2014 after four years as coach of the Greek national team. He has a contract that runs through 2024, and following the defeat by Morocco, he consistently refuted rumours that he would resign from his position sooner. u201cI will have a discussion with the (Portuguese soccer federation) president and when we go back to Portugal, we will deal with the issue of the contract,u201d Santos said.
WHOu2019S NEXTAlthough the idea of a world without Cristiano Ronaldo is unsettling, talent is emerging. The 21-year-old Gonu00e7alo Ramos is up front, and in his debut start for the national team, he scored a hat trick against Switzerland while filling in for Cristiano Ronaldo. Antu00f3nio Silva, a 19-year-old centre back for Benfica who appears to be the ideal replacement for Pepe, a player who is more than twice Silva’s age, is generating a lot of interest. While full backs Diogo Dalot and Nuno Mendes are only 23 and 20, respectively, Joo Fu00e9lix is only 23 and has time on his side.
WHATu2019S NEXTWith or without Ronaldo, Portugal is the favorite in a kind-looking qualifying group for Euro 2024. Portugal opens group play in March with a home match against Liechtenstein. The other teams in Group J are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Slovakia and Luxembourg. If Portugal reaches the tournament in Germany, expect the team to be among the favorites u2014 even without its most famous player.
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