Former England striker Alan Shearer is unimpressed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance in the Portugal setup.
The 39-year-old Al-Nassr striker continues to rattle in goals for the Saudi Pro League side, but his performances for his national team at Euro 2024 have led some observers to question whether he deserves a starting role under Roberto Martinez, or at the very least if he should be able to commandeer set-pieces.
Bernardo Silva and others are arguably superior options for free-kicks, but Ronaldo continues to execute, though he has yet to score in Germany.
Speaking to Betfair , Shearer said: “With Ronaldo against Slovenia, it was all about Ronaldo, wasn’t it? He wanted to take every free-kick, despite him only scoring one in his last 60 attempts in major tournaments. One free-kick in 60 and he’s taking them from the touchline to try to score from there. He’s desperate to get a goal.
“I don’t think Martinez has a choice - Ronaldo plays. We saw that in their third game when Portugal had already qualified, only three players had started from the previous 11 and Ronaldo was one of them.
“He’s 39 years old and he’s taking all the free-kicks, he took that penalty and missed it, although he deserves great credit for the way he took the first penalty in the shootout because the pressure on him was absolutely huge.
“But Martinez doesn’t have a choice, if Ronaldo is fit Ronaldo plays. That’s the rule, I’m afraid.”
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