Portugal
From Man Utd to Juventus via Madrid – celebrating a footballing phenomenon
One of the greatest players of his generation – Cristiano Ronaldo – has repeatedly proven himself on the biggest stage. His mesmerising goalscoring records and match-winning contributions have put him up there in conversations as the greatest player of all time. Let’s look back at his illustrious career and key highlights from his time at various clubs. Club Career Sporting Lisbon (2001-03) At the age of 16, Ronaldo broke into the Sporting first team under manager Laszlo Boloni. He started as a traditional winger, mainly focusing on crossing and attacking the byline. His pace and agility made him a challenging prospect to defend against. Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma for Portugal U-17s Ronaldo caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson in a friendly match between Manchester United and Sp...
Manchester United man leads Euro 2020 Best XI while Ronaldo leads from the front
The Euro 2020 group stages have come to a close, and it’s just a short wait before the knockout rounds begin. The opening two weeks of action have been nothing short of enthralling. We’ve seen some incredible goals, great drama, and an inexplicable amount of own goals. What’s not to love? Here is our best XI from the group stage. Lukas Hradecky (GK) – Hradecky can count himself unlucky to be going home early, having put in some excellent performances in the last three games. He kicked off his tournament with a crucial penalty save in the 1-0 win over Denmark and followed this up with another good performance in the 1-0 defeat against Russia. His final game was impressive but ended in heartbreak. He made several brilliant stops to keep Belgium at bay but scored an unlucky own goal to s...
1 from Portugal, 1 from France, 2 from Netherlands – Euro 2020 Best XI of Round 3
The group stage has come to an end, and now we have to endure two whole days without Euro 2020 action. How will we cope? At least the groups ended on a cracker, with several exceptional performances from the final round of fixtures. Here is our best XI from round three of Euro 2020. Lukas Hradecky (GK) – It feels a bit bizarre to include someone who scored an own goal, but here we are. Hradecky kept Finland in the game for as long as possible, producing several excellent stops to keep Belgium out before being cruelly robbed of his clean sheet. Nelson Semedo (RB) – The selection of right-backs from the latest round of fixtures was somewhat slim, but Nelson Semedo gets in for a solid performance. He got a lot of criticism for his performance against Germany, and many feared that it...
Ronaldo makes history, Man Utd and Real Madrid stars impress – Portugal 2-2 France Player Ratings
Portugal and France both progressed to the knockout stages of Euro 2020 after an entertaining 2-2 draw. The first chance of the evening fell to Kylian Mbappe. The youngster was played through on goal by an excellent Paul Pogba through ball, but his finish was underwhelming for a player of his standards. From then on, it was a half soaked in controversy, beginning when Portugal were awarded a penalty in the 28th minute. Danilo Pereira got his head to a cross and was caught by the arm of Hugo Lloris on the follow through. Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz pointed to the spot, despite protests from French players. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and slammed his penalty past Lloris. Just before half time, more controversy arose when France were given a penalty. Mbappe went down under contact from Nelso...
Euro 2020 Best XI from Round 2: Dumfries, Gosen and a dream midfield trio
It’s been another exciting round of Euro 2020 action, with several players putting in standout performances for their country. As we approach the last selection of group stage fixtures, it’s all very nicely set up. We should be in for an enthralling finale. Here is our best XI from the second round of Euro 2020 games. Danny Ward (GK) – Wales go into their final group game with Italy in a very good position. With four points from two games, they look almost certain to qualify for the knockouts. And they couldn’t have done it without Danny Ward, who was excellent again in the win over Turkey. His stunning late save from Merih Demiral’s header was vital to keeping his side ahead in the closing stages, as they later got a second. Denzel Dumfries (RB) – The right-back has made a reall...
Euro 2020: France avoid major upset in draw vs Hungary
France were forced to wait to secure qualification for the knockout stages of the Euros after they were held by a resilient Hungary to a 1-1 draw in front of a capacity crowd at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Meeting in scorching sunshine in front of more than 60,000 fans, Hungary stunned the world champions by taking a shock lead through Attila Fiola when he burst clear to finish calmly beyond Hugo Lloris in first-half injury time. France were rocked heading into the break but equalize through Antoine Griezmann in the 66th minute following some route-one football from goalkeeper Lloris and clever hold-up play by Kylian Mbappe. France pressed strongly in the closing stages but failed to get the breakthrough as a raucous crowd in Budapest celebrated as if their team had won. The result puts ...
Euro 2020: Wales set for hostile crowd as Italy eye knockouts
Wales are bracing for a hostile reception when they face Turkey in Baku at Euro 2020 on Wednesday while rejuvenated Italy can seal their place in the last-16 with victory against Switzerland. After drawing 1-1 with the Swiss in their opening Group A game, Wales play in the capital of Azerbaijan, with locals expected to get behind their Turkish neighbours, who will also have several thousand travelling fans on their side. Wales captain Gareth Bale, who experienced a dizzying run to the semi-finals at Euro 2016, said he was unfazed by the prospect of an aggressive atmosphere. “Hostility is no problem,” said the Real Madrid forward. “This is what we do for a living. We’re used to playing in away games and being in front of hostile crowds.” Turkey are desperate to shake off the disappointment ...
Ronaldo hits double, Liverpool man wasteful – Hungary 0-3 Portugal Player Ratings
A late flurry from Portugal saw them defeat Hungary 3-0 in their opening group stage game of Euro 2020 on Tuesday. The holders had numerous chances to take the lead in the first half but were wasteful in front of goal. Liverpool winger Diogo Jota was particularly dangerous, although his decision making came into question. Jota’s first chance came five minutes in, striking a shot from the edge of the box that was well saved. If he had got his head up, he could have played in Cristiano Ronaldo to his left. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man again had a lovely chance to open the scoring when he found himself free from Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick, but he put his effort way over the crossbar. Portugal continued to threaten and almost made an opening when Ronaldo slipped in Bernardo Silva. Ho...
Euro 2020 Diary: Arsenal star has a shocker, pundit has lost the plot
Day 4 of the European Championships provided the standout moment of the tournament to date as Czech Republic beat Scotland 2-0 at Hampden Park. Patrik Schick’s stunning long-range strike caught goalkeeper David Marshall on the hop and left most England fans smiling. Wonder goals aside, there has been plenty going on around the tournament – here’s what has caught our eye over the past 24 hours. Blondes have more fun? Phil Foden’s new Paul Gascoigne inspired haircut appears to have started a trend, with Granit Xhaka the latest player to join the ice cream club. He revealed his new ‘style’ during a video call with his wife Leonita, who understandably looked a little shocked at what she saw. Granit Xhaka has a new look for the rest of #Euro2020… pic.twitter.com/djqcV4m4QK — Sky Sports Premier ...
Cristiano Ronaldo is unconcerned over Juventus future
Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo insists his sole focus is on Euro 2020 and reports of interest from rival clubs are causing him no “sleepless nights”. Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juve in 2019, but the move has not worked out quite as planned. Although the Bianconeri won the Serie A title for a ninth successive season in the forward’s first campaign, they lost their crown to Inter this term and scraped Champions League qualification. Success in Europe’s premier club competition, which Ronaldo won five times with Manchester United and Madrid, continues to evade the Turin giants. A frustrating season ended with Massimiliano Allegri returning to replace Andrea Pirlo, and there has been speculation Ronaldo could follow his coach out of the door. Madrid, United and Paris Saint-Germain have...
Cristiano Ronaldo is unconcerned over Juventus future
Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo insists his sole focus is on Euro 2020 and reports of interest from rival clubs are causing him no “sleepless nights”. Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juve in 2019, but the move has not worked out quite as planned. Although the Bianconeri won the Serie A title for a ninth successive season in the forward’s first campaign, they lost their crown to Inter this term and scraped Champions League qualification. Success in Europe’s premier club competition, which Ronaldo won five times with Manchester United and Madrid, continues to evade the Turin giants. A frustrating season ended with Massimiliano Allegri returning to replace Andrea Pirlo, and there has been speculation Ronaldo could follow his coach out of the door. Madrid, United and Paris Saint-Germain have...
All Euro 2020 nation crests redesigned, for the modern era
National team crests are just different from their club counterparts. Both are an integral part of the team’s history, and both are definitely tattooed on many of the fans. However, in the past decade or so, most national team crests have already been updated and bought into the modern era of design. National team crests also seem to be simpler and have less elements than their club counterparts. That being said, I did find some ways to further simplify them. In some cases through minor changes without removing elements. It was also interesting to note how similar some of the crests can be to each other. For example Scotland, Netherlands & Wales all feature a roaring majestic lion or dragon. Or how Sweden and Finland, both nordic countries, feature their flags on a shield. I have tried...
