Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho believes Cristiano Ronaldo will be key to Portugal’s chances at Euro 2024.
Ronaldo is currently preparing for his 11th major tournament for the national side having first appeared for Portugal back at Euro 2004.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner heads into the European championships off the back of a successful individual campaign for Al-Nassr where he scored 44 goals in 45 appearances.
Mourinho believes Ronaldo will be key for Portugal
Portugal are stacked with attacking talent and alongside Ronaldo they also have Diogo Jota, Rafael Leao, Goncalo Ramos and Joao Felix.
With the quality on offer there’s no guarantee the 39-year-old will be a starter with Portugal looking for a repeat of their success from Euro 2016, where they beat France 1-0 in the final.
Mourinho, who has just taken over at Turkish giants Fenerbahce, believes Ronaldo will play a key role this summer.
When asked about Ronaldo’s role in the side, Mourinho told RTP:
“The coach knows.”
“Cristiano is the one who knows how he feels, what his goals are, how the coach wants to use him, whether to play every minute of every game or protect him in key moments.
“But there’s a lot that goes on inside that gets between them, he has a lot of influence and he will score his goals.
“I don’t believe he will leave the European Championship without goals.”
The former Chelsea manager also feels Portugal is among the favorites to win the Euros this summer.
“I think practically everyone thinks like me,” he added.
“Portugal, England, France, below them are Germany and Spain.”
Portugal under the guidance of former Everton and Wigan boss Roberto Martinez kick off their campaign against the Czech Republic on June 18th, before facing Turkey and Georgia on the 22nd and 26th of June to round out the group stage.
