Cristiano Ronaldo will not be distracted by the rumors about his sporting future during the European Championship. The Portugal and Juventus attacker is linked with a transfer to Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain, but says he is fully focused on the European Championship. Portugal will face Hungary on Sunday in Budapest and then play against Germany and France in Group E.
wrote a few weeks ago ASH that a return of Ronaldo to Manchester United is ‘closer than ever’. The same newspaper then claimed serious interest from PSG. “I’ve been playing at the highest level for many years, so I’m not impressed anymore,” Ronaldo said. “If I was eighteen or nineteen I might have had sleepless nights. But I’m 36 now. Whatever happens, it will be good. Whether I transfer or stay with Juventus. At the moment the European Championship is the most important thing . It’s my fifth European Championship, but it feels like my first European Championship.”
Ronaldo makes history when he plays against Hungary: the star player of Portugal is the first player ever to play at five different European Championships. “It is not very impressive, but it is a nice record. The most important thing is that we want to win the European Championship twice in a row,” he emphasizes at the press conference prior to the duel with Hungary. For now, Ronaldo is very confident. “The team is in good shape. It has been going very smoothly since the first training session on May 27. We are ready, so we hope to start the tournament in a good way tomorrow. The supporters will be behind Hungary, but it’s good to be able to play in front of an audience again. We’re going to enjoy it.”
Portugal’s preparation was disrupted on Sunday by the news that João Cancelo has tested positive for the corona virus. The Manchester City defender has left the training camp and has been replaced by Diogo Dalot. Ronaldo believes it is important that Portugal is not too concerned about the consequences of the corona virus for the country’s chances. “I don’t think it matters much. If we start focusing on other things, we lose focus,” he says. “It is a pity that João has tested positive, but otherwise we are not talking about corona. Everyone is tired of corona.”
Ronaldo says he does not know whether Portugal is in better or worse shape than during the European Championship in 2016. “It is a new tournament and we are no longer the same team as in 2016. We do have a team with enormous potential. will show whether we are better or less than in 2016. We’ll see for ourselves. Personally, I’m not the same player I was when I was 18, or 10 years ago, or 5 years ago. We’re always adapting. The most important thing for a footballer is the ability to adapt. If a player wants to go on for a long time, he must be able to adapt. I have done that my whole career. The numbers speak for themselves: from the age of 18 to 36 I have constantly adapted, am I keep winning and I’ve always been able to take trophies as a team.”
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