Portugal look destined to enjoy a successful World Cup this summer. Fernando Santos’ men, crowned European champions just two years ago, are on the verge of securing a place in the knockout stages and Cristiano Ronaldo’s individual form is key to their chances of glory.
The Real Madrid man has already notched four goals in 180 minutes of football in Russia. It would take a brave man to write Portugal off with Ronaldo at the top of his game. It took Ronaldo less than five minutes to break the deadlock against Morocco in their most recent group stage encounter and Portugal’s aspirations revolve around his form.
Ronaldo looks destined to enjoy a prolific summer. He may struggle to make an impact if opposing teams focus primarily on stopping the Madrid man in his tracks. Portugal’s game plan centres around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and they may crash out if Ronaldo fires a blank.
Are Portugal Over-Reliant On Ronaldo?
If the Real Madrid star has a bad game, Portugal may struggle to create opportunities. Although you could counter that view by referring to the Euro 2016 final. Ronaldo was forced off through injury in that fixture and Portugal managed to get the job done without him.
He got off to the perfect start with that hat-trick against Spain. Ronaldo is really going to take some stopping this summer. With 44 goals in 44 games for Madrid this season, the Portugal legend is still performing at an elite level and he can maintain that form throughout the rest of the competition.
Portugal will need Ronaldo to be at his brilliant best to stand any chance of victory. At the time of writing, Portugal are 12/1 with Betfair to win the World Cup this year. Punters will fancy Santos’ side to reach the latter stages but siding with Ronaldo to win the Golden Boot award may be the best option.
Ronaldo Will Use Golden Boot as Motivational Fuel
With four goals in two matches this summer, he is currently sitting pretty at the top of the goal scoring charts and plenty of neutrals will expect Ronaldo to maintain his advantage in that category. 21-year-old striker Goncalo Guedes has failed to inspire confidence so far this summer – he has not coped with the pressure of competing at this level.
Ronaldo will need some support from teammates throughout the tournament if Portugal are to enjoy a successful run to the closing stages. Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva is another who needs to step up in the coming weeks…
Portugal did what they had to do at Euro 2016 but winning the World Cup is a much tougher task. Cristiano Ronaldo will go down in history as one of the greatest players of all-time. A World Cup success will give him the edge in his personal battle with Lionel Messi. Ronaldo will have the Golden Boot awards in his sights. and Portugal could be celebrating a famous World Cup triumph on July 15th with a bit of luck.