Another Football Star: Cristiano Ronaldo

Infused with an elixir of youth, with a stream of new energy, Cristiano Ronaldo faces the first international break of 2023 as a twenty-something rather than the 38-year-old he actually is. His move to Saudi football to play for Al Nassr took a lot of media pressure off him that he was having a hard time coping with in his last spell at United.

In addition, the visit of Roberto Martínez, the new Portuguese coach, to Saudi Arabia to coincide with the Spanish Super Cup played there allowed him to talk with the coach and make the determination to continue wearing the national team jersey, with which he has made 196 appearances and 118 goals -an absolute record for any international player-.

Upon his arrival, the Portuguese concentration to start the road to the Euro 2024 wore a radiant smile that denotes that he is eager to continue making history with his country. The matches against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg invite this. If he scores, he will add to his incredible tally of goals for the national team. Even playing, he will have 200 matches with Portugal within reach, another mark that makes him excited given the proximity of the record.

Many things seem to have changed for Cristiano in these four months since his participation in the World Cup ended abruptly. The elimination in the quarterfinals at the hands of Morocco was very painful, especially for him because he finished the tournament as a substitute for Gonçalo Ramos and plunged into a personal war with coach Fernando Santos, who left office just after the appointment. Without him as coach and with Roberto Martínez on the bench, Cristiano smiles again. Records await you. He still has goals to score.