Former England international Ian Wright has criticized Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo for his performances in the 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024). According to Wright, the 39-year-old is no longer good enough to play the game at its highest level.
Cristiano Ronaldo Had A Horrendous EURO 2024 Campaign For Portugal
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez showed his unwavering faith in Ronaldo during EURO 2024, starting the 39-year-old in all five matches. However, the outcome was far from satisfactory. Ronaldo failed to score even a single goal in EURO 2024, despite attempting a tournament-best 23 shots.
He came the closest in the Round-of-16 clash against Slovenia when Portugal won a penalty in extra time. Ronaldo could not only have opened his account with that strike but also won the game for Os Navegadores. However, Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak read his intentions and leaped to his left to deny the Portugal skipper his goal.
Ian Wright Suggests Diogo Jota Should Have Started Ahead Of Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal exited EURO 2024 after losing to France on penalties (5-3) on Saturday night. Wright claimed it was a disappointing conclusion to their chapter, as they had the quality to go the distance. He also took aim at Ronaldo, claiming he was not good enough to represent his nation at the highest level.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Stick to Football podcast, Wright said (via GOAL):
“Portugal should be very disappointed about that [going out of EURO 2024] simply because of how good their team is – when you look at them from defense to attack. The way he [Cristiano Ronaldo] played in EURO 2024, as great as he’s been, surely Diogo Jota must be disappointed that he couldn’t get on that pitch.
“What I saw of him [Cristiano Ronaldo], he can’t cut it at this level now. As good as he is, as fit as he is, as driven as he is, you can see he just can’t quite get it out of his feet to get a shot in, the movement with a header, he can’t get past a defender now.”
Many reports claimed Ronaldo will call time on his international career after EURO 2024. However, the Al-Nassr superstar has shot said suggestions down, making himself available for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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