Or maybe without Ronaldo we would have been even better in the group stage and not put into a position where he "saved us" Just saying.
Please that’s just not true. Ronaldo was our best shot at winning. And someone said earlier Portugal played better in the final once Ronaldo got subbed. That’s some revisionist history. France dominated for large part of that game. Patricio and Pepe stood on their heads and played amazing. Portugal weathered the storm, and grew, switched to a 4-3-3 and Eder coming on changed everything.
The group stage argument is neither true nor false, it's just an argument that can be made. Ronaldo missed so many chances throughout the tournament, but obviously played a hugely positive role as always. However, it's not as if Portugal automatically would've lost every Ronaldo goal and gained nothing had he not played. He had nothing to do with Portugal's goal against Iceland, but did miss all five shots (and was offside three times), and he missed seven shots including a PK against Austria (and was offside three more times). That he's legendary and saved Portugal against Hungary doesn't change the fact he was probably more at fault - for lack of a better term - for Portugal only getting one point from the first two matches rather than four or six. I'm confident that Portugal would've gotten at least that one point from those two matches even if CR were out injured or something. I'm not among those who think Portugal is better without Ronaldo, but we all know how one-note Portugal's attack can be at times with Ronaldo on the pitch. Against weaker sides, that's a smart way to play because he's bound to get in excellent/dangerous positions to score. Against top opponents it can help lead to a stagnant attack. Portugal's not better without Ronaldo, but he's also not the sole reason for successes and completely blameless when points are dropped.
To be honest I hardly saw him play before the world cup. Surely he was already this good? You don't just all of a sudden become a top player, well it's pretty rare. Why was he left out of the world cup? His defending?
Maybe i am misreading your post.. but.. William has since moved on from Sporting, and since his move to Real Betis for some reason has become much more mobile, unless we just never saw this side of him due to the defensive position Santos had him playing with the NT.
He was clocked something really high almost Ronaldo level at full stride. I think he is just more comfortable at a slower pace reading the game.
Anyone else notice that now that Germany's team of former youth champions is gone their current crop of youngsters aren't producing? I keep telling people how important it is to constantly pump out competitive youth. We are in a good spell as well as France and England while teams like Germany, Italy and Spain are now starting to lose their poise. Although Germany could have been 2 or 3-0 up in that first half at the Stade de Portugal.
If you look back at my posts I’ve always been a massive Cancelo fan and personally think the only player who has similar ceiling is Dalot but completely different types of fullback. I believed in his world class ability but under allegri he has found a manager which has extracted consistent performances and also steadily improving his defensive game. It should be noted that he was involved in a car accident at 19 which his mother sadly passed away in and I personally think his had slowed his progression.
Goodead is right! Development is the key to grow as a team -- its culture and a winning attitude. CR ain't a leader imo, Figo was. But I love this roster to have the right balance. I knew leaving off Bruma/Neves/Cancelo would hurt us, they've been solid. I just want them to click 2018/2026 is our time to shine, hopefully FS won't make stupid roster mistakes again!
Cancelo is a Coentrao clone, just look at the similarities, even Bruma plays like Nani but he's a better dribbler/passer, Nani had a terrible shot. Who does Neves remind you of?
Fine, that's your opinion but I think he can play hard. He's been my fav since Sporting, he just needs more confidence when he plays for Portugal. Same with Silva.
Figo was just as egotistical as CR7. He's a guy that stormed off to the dressing room after being substituted off at the 2006 World Cup. He was far from a great leader.
Lmao! You can never debate this stuff but CR will always be a pre Madonna, sure figo had fits but are you really comparing the two? Moving forward, Portugal needs new blood pumped in the system, its time for CR to make way.
Didn’t Figo speak Spanish when he won the ballon d'or? Ronaldo cried when Eder scored in the final. I think we know who’s the real patriot for Portugal with them two.
Yeah, I don't necessarily remember Figo being a great leader. In addition to the incident from Euro 2004, that 2002 team just fell apart and it's should've been his team. If nothing else, Ronaldo leads by example. Sure, when he whines he's not setting a great example, but it's obvious that his teammates have followed his lead over the past decade when it comes to his professionalism, training and in-match effort. They also see that he wants to win as much as anyone ever, and that he is desperate to do so in the Portugal shirt. Honestly, I just didn't see the same from Figo, not to Ronaldo's level. As a teammate, you're bound to play at a higher level, or at least make the effort to, when your teammate and leader is someone like Ronaldo. If he was all prima donna, Portugal wouldn't have won as consistently as it has with him at the fore.
You mean "better player" Figo had the better talent around him but I like his personality better than the ultimate crier Ronaldo, I get the emotion aspect in futebol but he has done a lot of dumb crap in his career. With that said, I respect them both. I know they both respect each other.
So what would Ronaldo do if he was subbed off? No one has the balls to do it because we all know what's going to happen.