Cristiano Ronaldo went off injured in the UEFA Euro 2016 final, but Portugal battled on without him and went on to lift the trophy. The Portuguese national side looks nailed on to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024, and Ronaldo has unfinished business in the European tournament.

Will Portugal Be a Force in Germany?

Portugal is clearly at the top of their Euro 2024 qualifying group, and Roberto Martinez’s men will surely be in Germany next year. The Portuguese know how to win the European Championship, having prevailed in 2016, and Portugal will be amongst the favourites in Germany. You can get football betting odds of 10/1 for Portugal to win Euro 2024.

Ronaldo played a huge role in Portugal’s 2016 success in France. In the group stage, Portugal drew all three games and went through in third place. Ronaldo’s two goals against Hungary in the final Group F fixture proved to be huge.

Ronaldo was not on the score sheet in the Round of 16 or the quarter-final, though he opened the scoring in the semi-final win over Wales. He was stretchered off in the final, but Portugal beat France 1-0 thanks to Eder’s 109th-minute strike.

Ronaldo has won a whole host of honours during his club career, but helping his beloved Portugal to Euro 2016 success is right at the top of his list. Can Ronaldo do the same eight years later in Germany in 2024?

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Portugal Well on Their Way

Germany is within touching distance for Martinez’s men after a stunning start to qualifying. The qualification campaign will be done and dusted by the end of the year, and Portugal has four games to go.

They return to action in October and, in November, Ronaldo and the Portuguese national team will end the Group J head-to-heads by welcoming Iceland to Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon.  

Portugal has a perfect record ahead of the October qualifiers. They have won six out of six, scoring a staggering 24 goals and conceding zero. In September, six different players got on the score sheet in a famous 9-0 victory against Luxembourg at Estadio Algarve.

Although Ronaldo missed out on the goal fest in the Algarve, the veteran is the top scorer in the group, scoring five times. Only three players have scored more goals in qualifying. Ronaldo scored braces against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg and hit the all-important winner in a 1-0 victory in Iceland.

Ronaldo is enjoying his time in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, which is keeping him fit and firing on all cylinders for his national team. He will be 39 by the time Euro 2024 comes around, so staying at the top of his game will be imperative.

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Ronaldo still has a lot to offer at an international level, and Portugal could be the nation to watch out for in Germany next year.