That’s Cancelo struck off the Ronaldo Christmas card list
Joao Cancelo has surprisingly claimed that Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is “past his peak” and that the national team no longer solely rely on him.
Portugal face Sweden and Slovenia this week as they prepare for Euro 2024 and Ronaldo won’t feature in the first of those games while he’s been given time to recover on holiday with his family.
However Cancelo has ran the risk of getting on the wrong side of the 39-year-old by saying that Ronaldo is past his best.
“He is an important player and spent 15 years competing with Messi for the Ballon d’Or, but the peak of a footballer’s career is between the ages of 25 and 32,” he told Portuguese radio station RTP.
“He is an important player for us, but the national team does not depend entirely on him.”
Roberto Martinez still has faith in Ronaldo
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner caused controversy at the 2022 World Cup being dropped during a group stage game and reportedly fell out with then-boss, Fernando Santos and even wanted to fly home according to some sources.
But since the appointment of Roberto Martinez, Ronaldo has remained a key part of the squad and is expected to lead them out in Germany this summer.
“I’ve worked with many, but what sets Cristiano apart is the need to always be prepared to be the best. A contagious hunger, but very difficult to achieve,” Martinez said.
Ronaldo is bidding to end his career with 1,000 goals to his name. He currently sits on 879 and recently scored his 50th goal for Al Nassr in their win against Al Ahli last week.
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