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Will EURO 2024 Be Ronaldo's Last International Tournament?

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently part of the 26-man Portugal squad that coach Roberto Martínez selected to play in the 2024 UEFA European Championship, which most people call Euro 2024).

Let's examine his performance so far, Portugal's chances of winning this year's EUROs, and whether this will be his last major tournament.

Is EURO 2024 the last time Ronaldo plays at a major international tournament?

By the time EURO 2028 comes around, the world's most iconic footballer (along with Messi) will be 43 years old, and he will even struggle to compete at that level.

In other words, EURO 2024 will most likely be his last tournament at an international level, especially at the UEFA European Championship. However, when it comes to Ronaldo, you can never say never.

He would still only be 41 by the time the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway in North America (at venues across the United States, Canada, and Mexico), and nothing surprises us with Ronaldo anymore.

During his career, he has had more assists at the Euros since records began in 1968. He has scored more goals than any other player (14) and has appeared in more UEFA European Championship tournaments than any other player (5)—2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024.

Can Portugal win EURO 2024?

The quickest, easiest, and most reliable way to determine if Portugal can win EURO 2024 outright is to closely examine the latest EURO football betting on world-class online sports betting sites like 10Bet.com, which frequently offers some of football's most competitive odds.

At the time of writing, it does not look good for Portugal. They are only the fifth most likely team to win Euro 2024, behind Spain, England, Germany, and France. Let's take a quick look at the latest odds, starting with the team least likely to win Euro 2024 out of the top five favourites:

  1. Bet type: Team to win EURO 2024 outright. Team: Portugal. Decimal odds: 6.50. American/moneyline odds: +550. Fractional odds: 11/2. Implied probability rate (IPR): 15.40%
  2. Bet type: Team to win EURO 2024 outright. Team: Spain. Decimal odds: 6.00. American/moneyline odds: +500. Fractional odds: 5/1. IPR: 16.70%
  3. Bet type: Team to win EURO 2024 outright. Team: England. Decimal odds: 5.50. American/moneyline odds: +450. Fractional odds: 9/2. IPR: 18.20%
  4. Bet type: Team to win EURO 2024 outright. Team: Germany. Decimal odds: 5.00. American/moneyline odds: +400. Fractional odds: 4/1. IPR: 20.00%
  5. Bet type: Team to win EURO 2024 outright. Team: France. Decimal odds: 5.00. American/moneyline odds: +400. Fractional odds: 4/1. IPR: 20.00%

In other words, as you can see from these latest odds, France and Germany are jointly priced at 5.00 (+400 or 4/1) with a 20% chance of winning the tournament outright.

How has Portugal played so far?

In their opening game of the tournament on Tuesday, June 18, Portugal beat the Czech Republic 2-1 at the Red Bull Leipzig Arena before beating Turkey 3-0 on June 22 at the Signal Iduna Park stadium.

Their third and final group stage match is against Georgia on Wednesday, June 26, at the Veltins-Arena. They will finish top of their group even if they lose their next game and second-place Turkey win their match against the Czech Republic, meaning they have made it to the round of 16 knockout phase.

The team they will face on Monday, July 1, has yet to be announced as the group stages are still underway.

Upcoming Fixtures

The other two upcoming fixtures scheduled for Wednesday at 5 pm are Slovakia against Romania and Ukraine against Belgium. The three other teams that have also made it to the knockout phase with Portugal are host Germany, Spain, and Switzerland.

EURO 2024 facts

Here are a few quick facts from EURO 2024 that some might not already know.

  • Host nation: Germany
  • Venues: 10 host city stadiums
  • Total number of matches played: 24
  • Start/end date: June 14 – July 14
  • Top goalscorers: (Ivan Schranz, Jamal Musiala, Niclas Fulkrug, and
    Georges Mikautadze (all have two goals)
  • Red cards: 0
  • Yellow cards: 12
  • Final venue: The Olympiastadion in Berlin

Final thoughts

Although Cristiano Ronaldo is 39 years old, and this will most likely be his last major international tournament, and although Portugal is not the odds-on favourite to win, there is a good chance they can upset the odds and make history.

Portugal has only ever won the tournament once, in 2016. They were close to picking up their second title in 2004 when Greece narrowly beat them 1-0 in the final, so they will be looking to go all the way this year and join several other nations that have also won the Euros on more than one occasion.

Germany and Spain have both won the tournament a total of three times, and both Italy and France have won twice.

Published by Patrick Jane
28.06.2024