"He's going to do very well for this final stage" - Portugal star responds when asked about Cristiano Ronaldo's lack of goals at Euro 2024

Long-time Portugal defender Pepe has responded to questions about Cristiano Ronaldo's lack of goals at the ongoing EURO 2024. Both players are the oldest in the squad, with Pepe now 41 years old and Ronaldo now 39 years old.

Much is expected from the Al Nassr star, despite his age. The legendary Portuguese striker remains one of the best players to ever strike a ball, and he has been in rather strong form. He finished the season with a record 35 league goals for Al-Nassr and was widely expected to take this form into the EUROs.

However, things haven't gone as planned for the forward. He started all three group games in the competition with Portugal, providing one assist, but has been unable to find the net at any point. This has led to questions about his goalscoring form, but teammate Pepe doesn't think this is a problem.

The Portuguese defender said (via O Jogo):

"Cristiano lives for goals, that's a fact. But have you seen his availability on the field to help the national team? It's incredible. He's the player with the most minutes in our team, at 39 years old.

"He's doing very well, he's going to do very well for this final stage of the European Championship and I hope, or I'm sure, that it will give us a lot of joy."

Now that Portugal are in the knockout stages of EURO 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping to find his goalscoring form once more.

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Cristiano Ronaldo, other top strikers misfire at EURO 2024

Predictions for the highest goalscorer at EURO 2024 will have had a particular set of names across the board. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappe were widely expected to take the competition by storm, but things have not panned out.

If Cristiano Ronaldo can score in this competition, he will become the oldest goalscorer in the history of the EUROs. So far, though, he hasn't found the net. He did have a big chance to do so but chose to lay off the ball for Bruno Fernandes to score Portugal's third and final goal against Turkey.

The same lack of goals has affected superstar and World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe, who is popular for his goalscoring. The new Real Madrid signing has managed just one goal and one assist so far. His goal came in the form of a penalty. England striker Harry Kane has managed one goal so far, but it remains a subpar tournament for him as well.

All three players have found their way into the EURO 2024 knockout stages with their respective countries, and they will be hoping to increase their tallies.