Portugal forward Luis Nani believes Cristiano Ronaldo has silenced his critics at Euro 2016 and will go on to break the tournament’s all-time scoring record.
Ronaldo had been widely criticised for his poor performances ahead of Portugal’s final group game against Hungary but the three-time Ballon d’Or winner delivered a game-changing performance just in time.
After going 1-0 down to the Hungarians, and with his nation facing elimination, Ronaldo scored twice to guide Portugal into the Round of 16.
The brace not only secured his side’s passage into the next round but also took the 31 year-old within one goal of Michel Platini’s scoring record.
Nani now believes it’s only a matter of time before his national teammate becomes the tournament’s all-time top goalscorer.
Speaking ahead of Portugal’s knock-out tie with Croatia, the 29-year-old said: “I am 100 per cent sure he [Ronaldo] will go on and score more goals, everyone knows Cristiano and what he can do at any time, any minute in any game.
“No-one can say anything against him. He’s a fantastic player and every time he is faced with difficult moments. He showed it again when everyone was talking about him. He has shut them all up.”
His former Manchester United teammate added that people were wrong to keep criticising Ronaldo, saying: “He’s always been there, always playing well for us throughout the tournament. It doesn’t mean that when he is not scoring, he’s not playing well.
With the Real Madrid man already scoring eight European Championship goals, he sits just one behind Platini’s total of nine.
Ronaldo suffered a torrid start to Euro 2016 and his performance against Austria in particular sparked a lot of criticism. The attacker not only had a goal ruled out but missed a penalty for his side.
With the pressure on, we saw a very different Ronaldo against Hungary. He seemed moody in preparation and stone-faced as he led his side out on Wednesday evening.
The change in attitude seemed to work, with the captain scoring twice and assisting Nani for Portugal’s opener. His return to form came at the just the right time for his nation who now face a relatively easy side of the draw.
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