‘I’m back’: Ronaldo’s relief after double kickstarts Portugal campaign
Cristiano Ronaldo savoured the end of a “difficult, dark week” after scoring twice in Portugal’s 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan and becoming the first player to find the net in six World Cups.
Ronaldo and Portugal had come under heavy criticism after a flat draw against Democratic Republic of the Congo. There had been a particular spotlight on the 41-year-old Ronaldo, who had not scored in 10 major tournament games before Tuesday’s fixture. There have long been question marks over his continued ability to lead Portugal on this stage, but after the final whistle he shouted into a television camera: “I’m back, I’m back.”
“God helps those who work hard,” Ronaldo said later. “It was a difficult, dark week; it felt like I’d already retired from football. But I held on as I always do because I believe more in hard work than in football. It was difficult, I have to admit, but we’re back.
“It’s fine because when you think about it, it’s already 23 years I’ve been a professional and whenever things don’t go well it’s: ‘Cristiano, he’s finished, he’s old.’ But well, it was a good response from me and my teammates, which is what we wanted.”
Ronaldo acknowledged his record, set the day after Lionel Messi became the World Cup’s highest scorer of all time, but paid tribute to Portugal’s collective recovery. “Very happy, but for me the most important thing is the work the team did, the confidence we had,” he said. “We took a lot of hits during the week, we knew that would happen. The team worked very well, we improved a lot. Every cloud has a silver lining, as they say.
“Speaking for myself, breaking records is always nice, but my goal is to help the national team achieve its objectives. In this part it was about getting through the qualifying round, and with four points I think we’ve already done it.”
The win may ignite hopes that Portugal can become genuine contenders. “Today I was [named] the best player on the field, tomorrow it will be someone else,” Ronaldo said. “If we are united, I think we can go very far.” Asked about Messi’s goals, he replied bluntly: “I don’t care about Messi.”
Roberto Martínez, who said Ronaldo had been a “perfect captain” in the face of the past week’s brickbats, was willing to engage in praise for both players. “Both of them make history in football,” the Portugal head coach said. “They improve football and the rivalry is important for them to grow as players as well. Our captain is an icon, a role model for the national team. He tries to improve every day, in every training session, and has a great attitude in the dressing room.”
The Uzbekistan head coach, Fabio Cannavaro, said the feat should quieten criticism of the Saudi Pro League, where Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr. “I told him: ‘Maybe you can do more years if you’re not tired and enjoy football,’” he said. “If you still look like that, why not carry on?
“When you play against Ronaldo you know that you can’t leave even one centimetre; he will take advantage. There are many who think that playing in Asia, like Cristiano does, is actually wasting time. But then to come to the World Cup at 41 and play, it shows you are still hungry.”
