“I think this generation deserves to win a tournament of this magnitude,” Ronaldo stated on June 13. “Semi-finals? I hope Portugal can go even further.”
He encouraged his teammates to focus on each step of the journey, live in the moment, remain calm, keep the faith, and continue playing at the high level they’ve already demonstrated. While acknowledging that the Euros are just around the corner, Ronaldo is confident that the Portuguese team is prepared to seize the title.
Portugal will kick off Euro 2024 on June 18 with a match against the Czech Republic. They will then face Turkey on June 22 and Georgia on June 26. The tournament features 24 teams divided into six groups, with the top two teams in each group and the four third-placed teams with the best records advancing to the 1/8 round.
Ronaldo is about to attend the European Championship for the sixth time, something no one has ever done before. The 39-year-old striker also holds the record for scoring 130 goals at international level.
Ronaldo says he is enjoying football rather than chasing the goal of scoring goals, and the records he has achieved are a consequence of that and it is a natural thing. “This is my sixth Euro,” Ronaldo added. “I have to enjoy it as much as possible, play well and make sure the home team can win.”
On June 11, Ronaldo scored two goals in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland 3-0. He said that he is ready and well prepared for Euro 2024 and is happy that he still has motivation and desire before every match. “When you can’t feel it anymore, the best thing is to give up and stop. But I still feel it,” Ronaldo added. “I also see that the whole team is quite calm.”
Ronaldo has continuously attended the Euros with Portugal since 2004, winning once in 2016 when the tournament was held in France. This year, Portugal, England and France are in the top three contenders, ahead of hosts Germany and Spain.
