“He’s had no problem taking the pressure of his country” - Cristiano Ronaldo backed to coach Portugal by ex-Manchester United teammate

Former Manchester United defender and current Ireland manager, John O'Shea has backed his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo to coach Portugal in the future. He believes that the forward will be open to taking his national side's coaching role once his playing career is over.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Portugal vs Ireland friendly, O'Shea claimed that Ronaldo knew how to handle pressure and would want to help Portugal in the future. He said (via GOAL):

"Knowing the type of person he is, the dedication and professionalism he has, I am sure he has plans to carry on in terms of Portugal and where he's going to go. I'm sure he has ambitions, further down the line, to manage his country also in tournaments to come – if he wants to bring those pressures on him. He's had no problem taking the pressure of his country throughout his career. Whatever his next steps will be, I am sure they will be positive for Portugal."

When quizzed if Ronaldo still is one of the best players in world football, O'Shea pointed to the forward's impact for Portugal and Al Nassr in the last year and said:

"You see in Saudi, he's scored some goals for this team, and you also see the impact he's had with his goal-scoring for Portugal in the campaign to qualify for the Euros, too. I've no doubt whatever plans or rotations Portugal will have to use him, to maximise how far they get in the tournament, I think Ronaldo will be a key part of that, definitely."

John O'Shea shared the dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. The duo played 215 matches together, with the defender even assisting the Portuguese star for two goals and getting the favor returned once.

When former Manchester United boss backed Cristiano Ronaldo to become a manager

Ralf Rangnick spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo while the former was still the Manchester United boss back in 2022. He backed the Portuguese to become a manager in the future. He believed that Ronaldo would play for a few more years and then become a manager.

He had said (via GOAL):

"I think at one stage Cristiano will also be a manager himself, maybe in a couple of years or maybe in 10 years if he plays another five years, and then he will have the same experience himself. I don't blame him for that but, obviously any manager, I think it shouldn't be too emotional."

Cristiano Ronaldo played 22 matches under Ralf Rangnick at Manchester United. The forward scored 12 times in those matches and managed one assist.