Cristiano Ronaldo has put too much pressure on himself to lead Portugal to glory at Euro 2024, and that is why they will fail in the quarter-finals against France, says William Gallas.
France and Portugal are set to face off Friday as the tournament continues with the final eight sides, and Gallas is confident his countrymen can defeat the Euro 2016 champions to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
Speaking to Lord Ping about Ronaldo and Portugal's performances so far at this year's competition, Gallas focused on the aging superstar's role in the Portuguese attack and why he believes it should not pose much of a threat to the French defence.
"I'm a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo," Gallas said. "I'm really a big fan of his because of what he has done in football, it’s just incredible. Only Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have ever reached that level.
"I respect him a lot because he has made a lot of sacrifices to reach the level he has and he has worked so hard.
"However, watching him against Slovenia I saw a player that had a lot of pressure on his shoulders and I saw someone who couldn’t handle that pressure. It was too much for him, even if he is Cristiano Ronaldo.
"He looks so frustrated that he hasn’t scored yet in the tournament and even from his first free-kick you could see on his face, he was talking to himself and looked to the sky to almost ask God to help him, that is a sign of his nerves.
"On top of that, his movement is not the same as it was and that is normal because now he's 39 years old. If he has the same performance that he did against Slovenia against France then I'm not worried because we are really strong at the back.
"That's why for me, after watching Portugal in the last 16. France are 100% going to qualify."
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