PortugalAfter losing 0-1 to Spain and missing a place in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals, captain Cristiano Ronaldo threw the captain’s armband on September 27.
Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes, finished twice, but both were blocked by goalkeeper Unai Simon. He completed 14 passes, only more than goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the starting Portuguese players. The 37-year-old striker did not create any chances for his teammates and did not dribble past him once.
Ronaldo threw the captain’s armband after the defeat to Spain on September 27 in Braga. Image cut from clip
After the final whistle, Ronaldo left the tunnel immediately. Along the way, he threw the captain’s armband hard and didn’t pick it up. Portugal lost by the goal of striker Alvaro Morata in the 88th minute, watching Spain win the semi-finals.
Portugal is the first champion in Nations League history, season 2018-2019. At that time, Ronaldo scored the most goals in the draw, with a hat-trick against Switzerland in the semi-finals. But in the last two seasons, Portugal have only finished second in the group stage and missed the semi-finals.
Ronaldo throws the captain’s armband
This is not the first time Ronaldo has thrown the Portugal captain’s armband. He did it at least five times in the past two years, every time the home team had a bad result. In which, there is a case after the 2-2 draw with Serbia in the World Cup qualifying round in Belgrade on March 28, 2021, a firefighter on the field picked it up. This person thanks to the ice auction, collected 64,000 USD for charity.
Ronaldo’s performance in Braga also provoked a reaction from the Portuguese media. Sheet A Bola headline: “Ronaldo plays less, Portugal is stronger”. Before the match, 57% of this masquerade team also chose not to let Ronaldo start.
Sports blog founder Breaking The Lines Zack Lowry also commented that Ronaldo is a substitute, when Portugal has many talented strikers like Rafael Leao, Pedro Neto or Joao Felix. “Another unremarkable performance from Ronaldo,” he wrote.
Hoang An
