8 hours ago
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10 game tournament drought
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Cristiano Ronaldo is unquestionably one of the greatest footballers to have ever lived and arguably the best goalscorer in history. The 41-year-old is also one of the most decorated players of all-time with five Champions League titles and he holds countless scoring records. At his peak, Ronaldo was unstoppable but now firmly in the twilight of his remarkable career, the Portugal captain received widespread criticism after their insipid 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their World Cup opener. The Real Madrid and Manchester United looked a shadow of his former self and was unable to make a meaningful impact as he failed to register a single shot on target.
Remarkably, Ronaldo has now failed to score in his last ten games in major tournaments and Roberto Martinez has faced accusations that he’s scared to replace the iconic figure. Asked why he never subbed Ronaldo, Martinez fired back: "It doesn't male sense to take off the greatest goalscorer in football history in a match where we need to score goals. His experience in the penalty area is crucial. Every player has their role on the pitch and when we think about scoring goals.” It’s understood that Ronaldo will lead the line against Uzbekistan but his struggles have strengthened the arguments that Portugal’s record goalscorer no longer warrants a starting berth. Therefore, we’ve analysed three possible alternatives for Martinez to deploy up-front ahead of the Al-Nassr star.
Three Cristiano Ronaldo alternatives for Portugal
Gonçalo Ramos is the obvious choice and direct replacement for Ronaldo. Martinez famously dropped Ronaldo for the round of 16 clash against Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup for Ramos. The Benfica striker scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win and retained his place for the quarter-final defeat to Morocco. The now PSG striker represents a more dynamic option up front but his goalscoring record for the Ligue 1 club isn’t great with just six goals in 30 league games last season. Ramos isn’t an elite striker and is firmly an impact player for PSG but his inclusion could allow Portugal to play more as a team.
João Félix plays alongside Ronaldo at Al-Nassr and actually enjoyed a more productive campaign than the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. Felix provided 34 goal contributions as Al-Nassr won the Saudi Pro League, as opposed to Ronaldo’s 31. The 26-year-old isn’t an out-and-out centre-forward but he can be deployed in that role and it could be effective with Felix interchanging with Portugal’s wide players. It could allow Portugal to be more fluid and unpredictable in attack, which would be an improvement on the display against DR Congo.
Like Felix, Rafael Leão isn’t a natural striker but he actually played in that role for the vast majority of last season for AC Milan. Leao was deployed as a central striker in Massimiliano Allegri’s preferred 3-5-2 formation and scored 12 goal contributions in 29 games. The 27-year-old isn’t overly suited to this role but he does possess immense physical characteristics, which could replicate what Ronaldo offers. Leao is also much quicker and sharper with movements so could be an interesting alternative for Martinez.
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