Portugal vs Czech Republic, Euro 2024: Ageless CR7 eyes one more

Portugal's opening match of Euro 2024 against the Czech Republic is expected to include Cristiano Ronaldo, who will become the first player to appear at six European Championships.

Ronaldo holds the marks for the most goals (14) and appearances (25) at the event. He made his tournament debut at Euro 2004, where Portugal advanced to the final.

The 39-year-old striker gave Portugal a 3-0 victory over Ireland to warm up, demonstrating that he's still got it.

At Euro 2020, Ronaldo and Czech attacker Patrik Schick both scored five goals, sharing the title of top scorer. The Czech team's primary target, Schick, is back and comes with a lot of confidence after helping Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga.

Although the 39-year-old looks as hungry for goals and praise as ever, the Euro 2024 may be Ronaldo's final tournament as an international player.

On Saturday, at Portugal's open training session in Gutersloh, some enamored supporters came onto the field to snap photographs with the Portugal star, forcing police to step in and remove them. The training session was attended by over 8,000 fans.

The top scorer in men's international football may have moved away from Europe's elite to play in Saudi Arabia, but his knack for scoring goals is unwavering.

He hammered 35 goals in 31 league games for Al Nassr previous season, finishing second in qualification with 10 goals.

"Ronaldo is our captain, and we want to support him because he always thinks big." Diogo Dalot, a defender for Manchester United and Portugal, stated, "He's the one who has won the most among us."

Ronaldo, however, is not the only threat facing the Czechs, who are playing for the eighth time in a row.

Portugal has a strong offensive squad even without Ronaldo, with Rafael Leao of Milan, Goncalo Ramos of Paris Saint-Germain, and Joao Felix of Barcelona offering midfield alternatives for Bruno Fernandes.

Despite winning the championship in 2016, it's possible that Ronaldo feels unfulfilled on the global scene.

He was injured and missed the majority of the final eight years ago, thus he was unable to lead Portugal to victory in the two World Cups that followed or at Euro 2020, where they were eliminated in the round of sixteen.

Although this has been Portugal's most illustrious generation, Euro 2024 feels like a farewell tour for players like Ronaldo and 41-year-old defender Pepe, who are nearing the conclusion of their careers.

Portugal has an extremely talented roster and should rank among the top teams in Germany. They scored 36 goals and let up two goals in their ten qualification matches, winning all of them.

As he arrived in Germany, Ronaldo told reporters, "I think this generation deserves to win a competition of this magnitude," with an eye toward the Henri Delaunay trophy.

Nevertheless, having failed to guide Belgium's renowned "Golden Generation" to tournament victories, their manager Roberto Martinez is well-versed in the difficulties that come with managing a group of exceptionally gifted players at international competitions.

But Martinez also understands that he has Ronaldo, who is perhaps the finest in the game.

There are 23 players on our team. Earlier this month, he stated, "We foster competition, and the game makes decisions."

"However, Cristiano is ready to support the group and offer his all. Furthermore, Cristiano brings a unique quality to the dressing room that no other player in the world can match.

Leading a Czech team with radically different expectations is Schick, who earned goal of the tournament at Euro 2020 for his spectacular goal from the halfway line against Scotland.

The Czechs won four of their eight games in a qualifying group that also featured Poland, Moldova, and the Faroe Islands, placing them second behind Albania.

They struggled to score goals when Schick was sidelined for the last stages of qualification; but, after his "double" victory over Leverkusen, he seemed to have recovered from his injury, which could cause problems for Portugal.

"I think we have the goals in place. Coach Ivan Hasek of Czechia stated, "We could win it or we could get eliminated in the group stage."