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Portugal captain and record scorer Cristiano Ronaldo is ecstatic to return to the national team fold for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 qualifers against Slovakia on Friday (October 13) and Bosnia and Herzegovia away three days later.
The Selecao have had a perfect qualifying campaign, winning all six games, and are on the cusp of qualifying for the Germany finals next year. Roberto Martinez's side will do so if they beat second-placed Slovakia on Friday and third-placed Luxembourg do not beat Iceland on the same day.
Ronaldo, 38, has been in sizzling form for his club side, Al-Nassr, this season. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner tops the Saudi Pro League scoring charts with 10 goals in eight games and joint-top of the assists charts, with five (along with Mourad Batna).
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The Real Madrid legend drew a rare blank in the 2-2 home draw with Abha at the weekend, which snapped Al-Alami's six-game winning streak in the league. Nevertheless, he has also been in good form for his national team, scoring five times in as many Euro 2024 qualifying games.
Ahead of the Slovakia game on Friday, Ronaldo shared a picture of himself in a training session on Instagram story. Here's the screenshot:
It's pertinent to note that the Selecao captain missed his team's last game - a 9-0 home win over Luxembourg last month - owing to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Cristiano Ronaldo opens up on his international future with Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players to have graced the beautiful game and holds a plethora of records in men's international football. He has the most appearances (201) and goals (123), among others, by any male player in international football.
Having made his international debut for Portugal two decades ago, Ronaldo is still going strong and not likely to stop anytime soon. He recently hinted that he will continue to play till he enjoys doing so, telling Record (via Sport Bible):
“I always have something to prove, when we have nothing to prove it is a sign that we are dead for life. Every year, I always have something to prove. Proving that I can set an example of longevity, at 38-and-a-half years old, I think, I'll still do very interesting things.
"What? Goals, assists, good preparation in the Selection, having a good qualifying phase, a good European Championship and continuing to do what I've done in my 21-year career. I'll continue to enjoy it the same way. I still feel useful and good. It's continuing to enjoy football, which is what I like most.”
Ronaldo is the top scorer in European Championship history (14 goals) and Euro qualifying (36 goals). The Portugal captain is now looking to play and score in a record-extending sixth Euro finals, with no other player featuring in more than four.
