Cristiano Ronaldo has played his last Euro game in all probability as Portugal suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Belgium in the Round of 16 in Euro 2020. Unfortunately, Ronaldo couldn’t influence the game despite giving it his all.
Ronaldo had a free-kick on target, but it was not enough to trouble the big Belgian goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois. He has now come under heavy criticism for his role in the Portugal team for taking all their short-range free-kicks.
Cristiano Ronaldo has taken 28 free-kicks since his Euro debut in 2004, and surprisingly, none of them has been converted. Ronaldo has scored many glorious free-kicks throughout his career, but he has come under criticism for his failure to convert any of the free-kicks in Euros.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright said while commentating on the game as a pundit on Television: “How many of those free-kicks does Ronaldo actually score, I read something that says he’s got one in 50. It’s kind of like a myth, that Ronaldo is on it, watch out everyone. Nothing happens.”
“You expect him (Courtois) to make that kind of save. If he concedes a goal in this way, he’d be disappointed with himself. But it was a good save by Courtois,” Patrick Vieira said to which Wright responded,” What this free-kick? Courtois has enough time to see it. Plus it’s Ronaldo he doesn’t score many free-kicks.”
Cristiano Ronaldo has always shown the world that he always bounces back whenever someone criticises him. So maybe this time as well, we will see a new Ronaldo on the pitch in the next season as well as in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
