FFor two short moments he was completely his old self again. In the 51st minute, Cristiano Ronaldo confidently converted a penalty into the left corner. In the 63rd minute he made it 4-0 against Liechtenstein with a dry free kick. Both times the entire arena in Lisbon cheered for him, both times Portugal’s veteran star showed relief on his face.
“It’s such a good feeling to play for our Seleção again and score goals,” wrote the 38-year-old on Instagram after the European Championship qualifier. He also set a world record that Thursday evening. 197 caps are now Ronaldo’s tally – no player in the world has ever played more for a national team. He was “proud of that,” continued the star from the Saudi club Al Nassr. So everything as usual? No.
“It means everything to me”
Because apart from his two standard goals, the attacker hardly appeared against the blatant outsider. The veteran can still provide added value to his team. But his role is changing. New coach Roberto Martínez substituted him in the 78th minute, and Ronaldo accepted the decision without hesitation. Gonçalo Ramos came into play, the 21-year-old had already taken his previously undisputed regular place from Ronaldo at the World Cup in Qatar.
Only in the coming weeks and months will we see how Ronaldo deals with his new status. Martínez has made no secret of the fact that he continues to rely on him and his great experience. But it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Spaniard let him out in the next game in Luxembourg on Sunday – and let Ramos attack from the start. It remains to be seen how Ronaldo would then behave.
England’s sole record goalscorer Harry Kane, meanwhile, processed his frustration after the World Cup in the best possible way in the first competitive game that followed. His 54th goal, which saw him finally pass Wayne Rooney in Thursday night’s 2-1 draw with Italy, overwhelmed the 29-year-old Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward. “It means everything to me.”
He experienced “a magical moment” in Naples. “It had to be a penalty and when the ball hit the net it was a huge emotion for me,” said Kane. At the World Cup in December, he missed a penalty against France in the quarter-finals, and the Three Lions were then eliminated 2-1.
“Kane is an England legend”
In the dressing room, the team presented a jersey with the number 54 and the name “Record Breaker” along with a large framed photo with memories for Kane. Rooney, whose previous record of 53 is now history, wrote: “I knew it wouldn’t take long but it was really quick. Great man, incredible goalscorer and an England legend.”
Head coach Gareth Southgate was also enthusiastic about his leading player. “For him to break the record in the light of recent history is a testament to his strength of character and mentality,” Southgate said. Kane and England played strong tournaments at the 2018 World Cup (semi-finals), Euro 2021 (finals) and World Cup 2022 (quarter-finals), but are still waiting for their first title since 1966. The opening win in Italy was a first step towards the European Championship 2024 in Germany.
