This Monday evening, at the Quinas de Ouro Gala organized by the Portuguese Football Federation, Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his attachment to the national team, while making a surprising rebuke of some former Seleção team-mates.
He was a must at the event. In the run-up to the Seleção’s return for the Nations League, the Portuguese national team’s emblematic captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, received a trophy honoring his 200 caps for Portugal, at the Quinas de Ouro Gala. The award gave him the opportunity to reaffirm his love for the national team.
With 216 caps to his name, Ronaldo is the first player to cross the symbolic threshold of 200 caps for Portugal, well ahead of João Moutinho and his 146 appearances. This monumental feat has earned the current Al-Nassr striker an award.
“It’s surprising, because when I joined the national team at 18, my dream was simply to play for Portugal for the first time. Then I set my sights on 25 games, then 50, an important milestone for any player. Then I thought, why not 100? A round, three-digit number. After that, I thought about 150, 200… for me, it’s really something big,” he shared at the Quinas de Ouro ceremony.
The national team comes first
During his speech, Ronaldo also stressed the importance he attaches to the national team. “I’d like to take this opportunity to say, especially here, to my team-mates, that after playing for so many clubs, winning so many trophies, Champions Leagues, Ballon d’Or awards… I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful than representing your country. Playing for the national team means representing an entire country, its culture, its children, its parents, its friends…” he added.
However, a more surprising remark followed: the captain lashed out at some former players who chose not to play with the national team again. “That’s why I’m often disappointed by certain players who refuse to represent the national team,” he declared. This criticism seems to be aimed at players such as Rafa Silva and João Mário, who have decided to end their international adventure to concentrate on their club careers.
A surprising statement, given that Ronaldo himself had taken a similar decision in the past. After Portugal’s 2018 elimination by Uruguay in the World Cup, he took a break of over six months with the national team, missing the group phase of the inaugural Nations League. He then returned for the start of Euro qualifying, as well as for the Final Four of this Nations League, where he won his second international trophy. The adage “Do as I say, not as I do” could well apply here.
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