Cristiano Ronaldo: The superstar can lead the Portuguese to the round of 16 early on Monday.
The latest tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo came from an unusual place. The FIFA Technical Study Group rated the five-time world footballer’s penalty kick against Ghana as a “stroke of genius”, saying Ronaldo had done his job “brilliantly”.
The penalty gave Ronaldo his next “world record” as the currently clubless superstar has become the only player to score in five different World Cups since Thursday. In Qatar it shouldn’t be just one goal.
On Monday (8:00 p.m.) the record holder can lead former European champions Portugal to the round of 16 with a win against Uruguay. The 37-year-old wants to have checked off the dirty separation from Manchester United at the latest with the 3: 2 at the start: “The chapter is closed.”
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There are always new rumors about his future appearing in the media. The Saudi top club Al Nassr is said to have offered Ronaldo a $ 225 million three-year contract.
Clever Ronaldo makes the difference
Despite all the hype surrounding his role, Ronaldo tries hard to put himself in the background. The most important thing, he says, is “the team”.
So he shouldn’t really care whether a teammate or he scores again with a questionable penalty against Uruguay. The penalty against Ghana caused a lot of discussion, Ghana coach Otto Addo saw it as a “mess”. Ronaldo had been touched by Mohammed Salisu, but the African also hit the ball.
“If you look at that Ronaldo penalty – no matter what people say about this man – it was brilliantly done. He said to himself, ‘I just have to be patient, touch the ball first before it hits me,'” he said Ex-Bundesliga professional Sunday Oliseh from the Technical Study Group (TSG) of the world association.
The general increase in the number of penalties is due to the video assistants, but also to the professionals themselves. “The strikers have become smarter,” said Oliseh. Ronaldo knows that very well.
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