There is no question about Cristiano Ronaldo’s eminence in whichever team he plays. Ronaldo is leading this national team in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers, and they are now set to face off against Iceland. But the final decision on whether he will start or not lies in the hands of the Portugal head coach, Roberto Martinez. Will he bench the soccer superstar?

Former Portugal coach Fernando Santos made a controversial decision by benching the 38-year-old in the World Cup quarterfinal. This ended up upsetting Portugal fans as the team lost against Morocco 1-0. Back in September, the head coach made a bold claim that the team was prepared to win matches without Ronaldo. However, Martinez didn’t bench the soccer legend when Portugal faced Liechtenstein, and this ended up with Ronaldo playing a crucial role in the team’s 2-0 victory. Now, here we are with three important reasons why Ronaldo must start for Portugal against Iceland.

Roberto Martinez should choose Cristiano Ronaldo

The match between Portugal and Iceland will take place tonight at the Estadio Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon. Undoubtedly, Ronaldo’s team has showcased top-level performance in the qualifiers and is already in a safe position. However, this match would help them have a clean record. Although there’s no doubt the team can always use the expertise of their talisman, there are a few particular reasons why CR7 should start tonight.

1) Top goal scorer record for Euro qualifying

After scoring a magnificent goal against Liechtenstein, Ronaldo achieved an interesting record. The Al-Nassr star is already the top-scoring player in the world, and now he is the top scorer in the 2024 Euro Qualifiers with ten goals. The 38-year-old’s extraordinary performance in the qualifications resulted in him surpassing Romelu Lukaku as the joint-top scorer.

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CR7 also has one assist, along with the whopping number of goals he scored during the Euro Qualifiers. Recently, Ronaldo’s teammate Jota even mentioned that the exceptional performance of the soccer legend inspires him to be a better player.

2) The record of most goals in 2023

Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly running the race to become the top goal scorer of 2023. Hence, it is important for him not to miss any important matches that would leave him behind from the rest. In 2023, the Portuguese superstar scored a total of 46 goals and is looking forward to adding more feathers to his hat, especially as young stars like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are all equally committed to achieving the same. 

3) Portugal will look to end the campaign on a positive note against Iceland

The former Euro champs need just one win from their remaining matches to finish a nearly perfect qualifying campaign. On the other hand, Iceland is having a hard time qualifying, with their 10 points from nine games leaving them 4th in Group J. Portugal has already cemented its position at Euro 2024 in Germany. Hence, today the team will work to maintain their winning streak and finish qualifying with pride. 

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It is also noteworthy that Ronaldo has more prowess than any others in the Euro. His first Euro match was against Greece on June 12, 2004, where he managed to showcase his extraordinary skills. He later earned Michel Platini‘s same record of nine goals by the end of Euro 2016. He scored five more goals at UEFA Euro 2020, setting a new mesmerizing record. 

What are your predictions for today’s match? Sound off in the comments below.

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