"This generation can do it" - Jose Mourinho believes Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal can win the EUROs this summer

Jose Mourinho reckons Cristiano Ronaldo could lead Portugal to the European Championship title in Germany this summer.

Ronaldo, 39, is widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the beautiful game. Despite being almost 40, he has hardly showed any signs of slowing down anytime soon, plundering goals galore for club and country.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner - who won Portugal's maiden European Championship in 2016 - played a key role in their qualification for the Germany edition. Leading from the front, Ronaldo scored 10 times in nine games as Roberto Martinez's men produced a 'perfect' qualifying campaign.

Ronaldo is now gearing up to become the first player to play six (straight) European Championships, with nobody else doing it more than four times, consecutive or otherwise.

With an assortment of Portuguese players plying their trade at some of Europe's best clubs, Mourinho feels that the current generation - led by their talisman Ronaldo - could go all the way in Germany.

"I believe that Portugal can achieve the EURO, and I hope it does," said the recently fired AS Roma boss. "This generation can do it."

Since their title triumph eight years ago, Portugal's title defence ended in the Round of 16 at Euro 2020, losing by a solitary goal to Belgium.

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How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared for Portugal at the EUROs?

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is a goalscoring machine, having scored his 874th career goal for club and country in Al-Nassr's 1-0 AFC Champions League Round of 16 win on Wednesday (February 14). Nobody else has touched the 850-mark.

Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo also holds a plethora of records in men's international football. The record appearance maker (205 games) and scorer (128 goals) is also the all-time record scorer in the European Championship, both finals (14 goals) and qualifying (41 goals).

Ronaldo has scored in all five European Championships he has played in, bagging 14 goals and nine assists in 25 games. He scored twice at Euro 2024, where Portugal reached the final, and once at Euro 2008.

He enjoyed a better outing four years later, scoring thrice, but better still was in store. At Euro 2016, Ronaldo scored thrice in seven games as Portugal won the competition for the first time.

Five years later, Ronaldo had his most prolific European Championship campaign, scoring five times and assisting once in four games, but the Selecao's title defence ended before the quarterfinals.