One reason every team at the World Cup can win
By Ty Finch
Group B
Portugal: Ronaldo’s last ride?
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Premier League with Manchester United three times, La Liga with Real Madrid twice, the Champions League four times over, a European Championship with Portugal and boasts a list of individual awards so vast it might as well have its own area code.
The most difficult and most elusive award for every player, including Ronaldo, is the World Cup trophy. He’s been part of three other World Cup rosters with Portugal, and 2018 might be his last chance to make a big impact. Ronaldo turned 33 in February, and will be 37 by the time the next one rolls around. There’s a chance he won’t be playing a major role by then, as well as a possibility of Portugal not qualifying either, as Italy, Netherlands and the U.S. will attest to.
Needless to say, the 2018 World Cup is going to be of massive importance to him and his teammates. They’ve shown the ability to surprise everyone in major tournaments recently, as their 2016 Euro title came out of nowhere.
Leading up to the main event, Ronaldo has been on fire for his country, scoring more goals than matches he’s played in. At the time of writing, he also has 17 goals in his last eight matches with Madrid. Reports of his demise were greatly premature.
Portugal are currently ranked third in the world by FIFA, so they have expectations on their shoulders. They’re not just ‘“Ronaldo and company,” either. Talented, experienced players like Pepe, Joao Moutinho, Bernardo Silva and Ricardo Quaresma figure to play huge roles in helping Portugal go deep in the tournament. But they’ll need their best player to have his best tournament to do so.