No Cristiano Ronaldo, no problem. This seemed to be the Portugal national team’s attitude when they bashed Sweden 5-2 in the recent friendly without Cristiano Ronaldo. Interestingly, Portuguese left-back Joao Cancelo had hinted in a prior interview that the national team does not heavily depend on the 5x- Ballon d’Or winner anymore. However, Portugal’s midfielder Joao Palhinha begs to differ. The Fulham midfielder recently laid bare how the Al Nassr star remains the Portugal NT’s centerpiece and ‘takes up all the pressure.’

Ronaldo will probably rejoin the Portuguese squad for their game against Slovenia in the coming week. Thereafter, the mercurial Portuguese is expected to captain Os Navegadores in the UEFA Euro 2024, beginning in June.

Joao Palhinha doubles down on Cristiano Ronaldo’s importance in the Portugal team

Joao Palhinha spoke at length about the Portugal team’s stint since coach Roberto Martinez’s reign started. Cristiano Ronaldo and Co played in 11 out of 11 Euro qualifier games last year under Martinez’s guidance. Soon, Palhinha took the conversation in the veteran Ronaldo’s direction. “Cristiano’s role in the national team is always the same. It doesn’t change much. It’s that leadership that he also has and how important he is,” (translated by DeepL) Palhinha told Abola in an interview. He added that fans have their eyes locked exclusively on the Al Nassr star when Portugal plays, and that helps other players take a breath.

“That also ends up taking a bit of the pressure off us, because Cristiano is the one who ends up taking all the pressure, even when the team doesn’t win, it’s all on Cristiano,” the Portuguese midfielder added. Later, the Fulham star asserted that CR7 has been a crucial component for the national team ever since he joined them. “His role is extremely important, it always has been since he joined the national team,” he added. He then lauded the 5x- Ballon d’Or winner’s leadership and cherished how he enhances the locker room atmosphere. Palhinha concluded by saying he wishes to aid CR7 in his pursuit of breaking more records. While the midfielder was full of high praise for Ronaldo, his teammate Joao Cancelo had a different take. Let’s see what it was.

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Joao Cancelo says Ronaldo “is an important player” but not the talisman they rely on anymore

Joao Cancelo downplayed Cristiano Ronaldo’s importance for the Portugal NT in a recent interview. At the heart of Cancelo’s observation was that Ronaldo is past his prime which the former thinks is 32 years. “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 is an important player for us, but the national team does not depend entirely on him,” Cancelo said.

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While it is true that Ronaldo has aged, we must note that he has aged like fine wine. During Portugal’s undefeated campaign last year, Ronaldo scored nine goals in 11 games. Anyhow, a Portuguese team ousting Sweden 5-2 also proves that the nation is adapting to games without their top goal-scorer and leader. Only time will tell if Ronaldo can defy age in the upcoming UEFA Euros. Until then, there will be two sides to the superstar’s longevity and importance. What do you make of Palhinha’s thoughts on the former Real Madrid star’s importance? Let us know in the comments section below.

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