That’s fine as far as it goes, but it places all the weight on one man’s shoulders. But there could be another Ronaldo Factor at play, and it is one that will galvanise the entire team. To understand it, we need to look briefly at another World Cup in another sport.

They’ll want to do it for Cristiano

In 2011, India beat Sri Lanka to win the cricket World Cup in front of 45,000 adoring fans at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Of course, the team were jubilant, but in post-match interviews, every player said the same thing: “We wanted to win it for Sachin.”

Sachin Tendulkar, arguably the best batsman ever, was by this time 38. It was to be his last World Cup, and about the only thing he hadn’t won. In the final itself, his contribution was minimal, opening the batting and being caught behind for 18, but that wasn’t the point. Over the past 20 years, he’d been India’s talisman, their greatest player, and this was their gift to him. It was not MS Dhoni, the man who scored the winning runs, but Tendulkar, who was carried on the shoulders of his teammates on a lap of honour around the stadium.

Perhaps it is this kind of Ronaldo Factor that can make the biggest difference to Portugal’s World Cup prospects in Russia.

The route to the final

Getting through the group stages is one thing, but Portugal can make a big difference to their chances of ultimate victory by not just qualifying but by winning Group B. Here’s why. If they finish second in the group, they will face likely Group A winner Uruguay, and set up a potential quarter-final against France. If they win their group, they will most likely get an easier last-16 tie against Russia, to set up a mouth-watering encounter against Argentina.

Messi versus Ronaldo is something the world would love to see, but to win the group, they need to beat Spain on June 15. The Portugal v Spain betting odds are around 7/2 for a Portugal win, with Spain the slight odds-on favourites. Of course, this game is already being seen as the biggest matchup of the group, but there could be even more resting on it than local rivalry.

One thing is certain, the press is right to be talking non-stop about the Ronaldo Effect when it comes to Portugal’s World Cup hopes. The real question, though, is exactly what shape that effect is likely to take.

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Portugal are not fancied to win the competition. Fans who check out the World Cup favourites on Stakers.com will see Ronaldo’s side outside the top five in the tournament winners’ market, but their experience of grinding out results at major tournaments, combined with the genius of Ronaldo, makes them a dangerous side to overlook.

For Ronaldo, this is about putting right a surprisingly ordinary record in the tournament. The great man has played 13 World Cup games, but has scored just three goals in those matches spread across three tournaments; a tally that is in sharp contrast to his position as Portugal’s leading all-time goalscorer and the five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or.

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His first appearance, in Germany in 2006, came three years after his international debut. He was part of a team that included Luis Figo, Deco, Simao and Pauleta, at a time when he was rated one of the world’s most exciting players. It proved to be a tumultuous tournament for the young star, who scored his first World Cup goal against Iran, suffered an injury in the last sixteen game against the Netherlands, scored the winning goal in the penalty shoot-out against England, and suffered defeat in the semi-final against France.

Four years later, Ronaldo arrived at the World Cup in South Africa as the world’s most expensive player, having moved to Real Madrid for €94 million. As a number of Portuguese stalwarts had left the side, Ronaldo took on a leadership role, but the style of the team’s play gave him little opportunity to express himself and their exit from the tournament at the hands of Spain added another layer of disappointment to his World Cup story.

There was more heartache to come. At the 2014 World Cup, Ronaldo went into the tournament suffering from a niggling knee injury. He managed to play all three Group games but the team struggled, losing 4-0 to Germany in their opening match, salvaging a draw with a 95^th minute equaliser against the USA and eventually going home early despite Ronaldo’s third World Cup goal, which secured a 2-1 win over Ghana.

Victory at Euro 2016 erased some of those bad memories, but the legendary Portuguese captain would dearly love to add the World Cup trophy to his collection. The team came through a relatively easy qualifying group, though they lost to Switzerland along the way. They have also lost friendlies against Sweden and the Netherlands in the last twelve months and drawn with the USA. But with Ronaldo in the team, anything is possible. In what may well be his last tilt at the World Cup, it would be a fitting conclusion to the tournament to see one of football’s greatest ever players achieve the ultimate prize.

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Here’s our take on the most difficult way this could play out for Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese national side.

The Group Stage

The group stage fixtures are the only bit of the tournament that’s set in stone, and show Portugal in action on June 15th against Spain, on June 20th against Morocco, and on the 25th against Iran. It’s a path that’s widely viewed as manageable, if not without challenges, for a talented Portuguese side. While, again, anything can happen, it’s that first match that’s likely to determine group finishing order. That is to say, either Spain or Portugal will probably win Group B, with the other being a favorite to advance as runner-up. And since we’re examining the toughest possible path, let’s assume Portugal finishes as the second place team in Group B.

Round of 16

Group B is paired up with the relatively weak Group A in this knockout stage, which is fortunate for Portugal (and Spain). The possible matchups should Portugal advance include Russia, Uruguay, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, though it’s those first two teams that are expected to advance. The odds would say that if Portugal advance as the Group B runner-up, its toughest (and likeliest) opponent would be a Uruguay team coming off a Group A win. Though we shouldn’t count out Egypt entirely. Star striker Mohamed Salah is already being written about as a potential game-changer in Group A!

Quarter-Final

If Portugal were to get out of its group as runner-up and then past Uruguay, its next toughest opponent is actually fairly easy to determine. It would be lined up to play either the winner of Group C (almost certainly France) or the runner-up from Group D (which could legitimately be any of Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, or Nigeria). Predicting things a few matches in is a tricky prospect, but the most difficult road clearly goes through France, which is right there with Germany and Brazil as an overall tournament favorite.

Semi-Final

Moving forward, Portugal would most likely be set up for a semi-final duel with Brazil. The four possible opponents at this stage include the Group E winner (probably Brazil), the Group F runner-up (likely Mexico, Sweden, or South Korea finishing behind Germany), the Group G winner (Belgium or England) and the Group H runner-up (any of Poland, Senegal, Colombia, or Japan). That’s a lot of teams vying for position, but among them, Brazil and Belgium are the best sides, with Brazil standing a tier above. Going by the toughest road, that’s the matchup.

Final

Without getting into the details, the toughest team remaining for a potential World Cup final would be Germany – again, a team among the favorites. So just to recap, it appears the full outline of the most difficult route through the Cup for Portugal includes group play, Uruguay, France, Brazil, and then Germany – not exactly a stroll in the park.

Fortunately for Portugal supporter’s Ronaldo’s form and penchant for heroics seem about as sharp as ever, so there’s no counting out this kind of dream run for the national side.

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At 33 years old, Ronaldo has the fitness of a 23-year-old in peak condition and still looks as hungry as ever to play in every minute of every game. It will certainly not be surprising if he carries on playing at the highest level until the age of 40 or beyond.

When Ronaldo was just 15 years old, he told his teammates that he would one day be the best footballer in the world.  To date, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards and has also gone on to lead Real Madrid to three Champions League titles.

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One of the most impressive displays of Ronaldo’s leadership ability came in 2016, when he led a mediocre Portugal squad to Euro 2016 glory. Portugal managed to overcome the pre-tournament favourites and hosts France in the final 1-0. With Ronaldo leading his country once again, Portugal are 25/1 to win the 2018 World Cup, with punters able to maximise their stake through the use of a bonus code generator.

Ability to prove his doubters wrong

Ronaldo also has an uncanny ability to prove people wrong and this makes him one of the all-time greats. Many felt that he would never win a major title at international level due to the fact that Portugal have been arguably been a one-man team since Luis Figo retired following the 2006 World Cup.

Many people also thought that Ronaldo’s career was on a downward spiral due to Real Madrid’s performances this season and after he had a less-than-desired impact during the first half of the season. However, he has since responded in fantastic fashion during the second half of this campaign and currently sits on 41 goals from 38 games in all competitions.

The former Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United star also became the first player across all of the top five leagues in Europe this season to surpass the 40 goals in all competitions mark.

Ronaldo has a never-say-die attitude and this was proven by the way in which he never lost faith in the Portugal national team. If Ronaldo wanted, he could have retired from international duty to focus solely on making money and winning things at club level, but he did not.

Will he be able to lead Portugal to glory during the 2018 World Cup in Russia? We will have to wait and see.

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In terms of Portugal, he’s up there with the great Eusebio. In world football, he’s on a par with Messi, Maradona and maybe even Pele. His achievements will stand the test of time.

All good things must come to an end, though, and it is thought that now, at 33 years old, perhaps his light is beginning to fade. His high-energy displays must take a physical toll on the player and that is more evident now than ever.

His game has changed as he’s matured, something every footballer must go through. Once upon a time, he was a flair player, a tricky winger at Manchester United with little end product.

Then, he switched to the old ‘inside forward’ role, not quite a striker but not quite a winger. It didn’t really matter where you put him, as he developed, he became the unstoppable force that has driven the great Real Madrid through the last decade. His goal scoring ratio has been phenomenal, his presence on the world stage unrelenting and dominant.

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Recently, he had to move more central as age began to knock on the door. Many great players change from high-tempo roles as their body starts to let them down. Wayne Rooney dropped further back into midfield; Ronaldo simply became more central. He adopted the role of a deadly striker, lacking deadly pace but still lethal in the box.

Ronaldo is still the Ballon d’Or holder; he’s still the best in the world, but is he truly as good as he has been in the past? With his European Cup win for Portugal, you got the sense that he’d finally achieved everything he wanted, including international honours for his country. All great players are judged both domestically and internationally and, whilst he had no points to prove at Madrid, he still had Portugal success to master. With that done, has he resigned himself to the fact his career is winding down?

Ronaldo has 430 Madrid goals from 390 appearances, a ratio that is beyond comprehension. He is the stuff of legends, a player whom it has been a joy to watch throughout his career. This season, he has 41 goals from 39 appearances but just 22 from 29 games in La Liga. Last season, he struck 55 times in 55 games but just 25 in 38 La Liga outings.

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The numbers don’t lie; his ratio is as good as ever. In February and March 2018, he scored a whopping 17 goals in just eight games, including three against Paris St Germain in the Champions League. He’s scored 12 in Europe’s elite club competition, four more than his nearest rival, Wissam Yedder. His Real Madrid side are behind Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona in Betsafe’s online betting odds but, with the master in their ranks, they have something at least two of those sides do not – a bonafide legend.

Throughout his career, Ronaldo has scored goals and, whilst he’s switched his game around to accommodate physical changes, he remains as lethal as ever. The question posed was ‘is age catching up with Cristiano Ronaldo’? He’s currently enjoying the same scoring ratio domestically as he did last season; he’s the current leading scorer in the Champions League by some distance and he’s preparing for yet another major tournament with Portugal. The answer is absolutely not.

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The hunt for the title has finished and they crashed out in ignominious fashion to Leganes in the Copa Del Rey. Domestically, their best hope is to maintain their position in third, although even that is not certain given Valencia’s very good form.

Away from La Liga, things are looking a bit better. This is being written just a few days before Real take on PSG in the second leg of the Champions League Last 16. Madrid’s 3-1 victory, with two goals from Ronaldo, demonstrated that they are still the team to beat in Europe’s premier competition. While they are in no way certain to qualify, Madrid have nonetheless put themselves in a good position.

Madrid and Ronaldo both failing to fire at times

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For Ronaldo on an individual level, things have more or less mirrored Madrid’s season. Just when you think he is about to ‘lift-off’, things seem to be reset all over again. He has not been awful in the league: 14 goals put him just one behind Antoine Griezmann. However, it his by his own incredibly high standards (and Lionel Messi’s) that he is judged.

The Champions League is a different matter though, he has bagged 11 goals so far and is priced at odds of 4/9 to once again be crowned the competition’s top scorer. Harry Kane and Roberto Firmino are next on the charts with seven goals each, priced at odds of 9/1 and 33/1 respectively. However, most would fancy the Portuguese to hold them off. Indeed, Ronaldo is just six short of equalling the all-time record of 17 goals he set in 2013/14 season.

World Cup will be firmly in Ronaldo’s mind

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It’s also easy to forget that this is a World Cup year. Despite being European champions and currently sitting third in the latest FIFA rankings, Portugal can still be backed at 25/1 for the tournament when you bet with the top UK bookmakers. That’s pretty tempting given the record of Fernando Santos’ side. Ronaldo is priced at 14/1 to win the Golden Boot in Russia, another decent pick given Portugal’s have two of the tournament’s weaker teams in their group – Iran and Morocco.

From a perspective away from the Madrid bubble, it seems ludicrous that Ronaldo is once again being doubted by fans. His future will always be speculated about, but his current standards only look short by comparison with his past. While Messi leads the way in La Liga’s goal-scoring charts, Ronaldo has nearly three times the goals of the Argentine in the Champions League (11 v 4). What’s all the fuss about?

Seventh Champions League top scorer award is within Ronaldo’s grasp

Less than a year ago Ronaldo was being booed by Madrid fans, yet he was still able to lead them to a La Liga and Champions League double. By the time the end of the domestic season comes around, he could be looking at another top scorer award in the Champions League and ready to captain an underrated Portugal side in his fourth and, probably, final World Cup. The season could end on a high note, with Ronaldo’s detractors once again looking very foolish.

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After coming off the bench to score his national side’s opening goal in their drab victory over Andorra last Saturday, Ronaldo returned to the starting lineup here. As it turned out, the star had a relatively quiet game, with his influence ultimately not being required on the night.

An own goal from Switzerland’s Johan Djourou broke the deadlock five minutes shy of the break, while Andre Silva headed home early in the second half to secure the victory for the reigning European champions. Despite winning all nine of their qualifying matches prior to this encounter – including a 2-0 reverse in Basel in which Ronaldo was out injured – the Swiss are now consigned to the playoffs on the basis of their opponents’ vastly superior goal difference atop Group B.

For the 32-year-old Cristiano, it guarantees his place in what will most likely be his final World Cup in Russia next summer. While he’s tasted European success with Portugal at Euro 2016, Ronaldo has often been criticised for failing to deliver on the grandest of international stages – he will have one final crack at getting it right in 2018.

Image by Кирилл Венедиктов (soccer.ru) [CC BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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The FPF will celebrate their 100th anniversary in an event on January 14th at Estoril, and they will hand different prizes for the most outstanding football personalities of their history.

The candidates for the best player award are Ronaldo, Benfica’s legend Eusebio and former Real Madrid midfielder Luis Figo.

The winner will be decided by the fans, who will vote through the FPF’s official website.

Ronaldo has also been nominated to be included in the Best 11 of the Century, the Best 11 of All-Time and the Best Contemporary 11.

Los Blancos striker is favourite to win all individual awards this year, including the Ballon d’Or. Even Barcelona fans such as former Azulgranas player Jonathan Soriano recognise Ronaldo should win the award.

“For what he did during last season, the Ballon d’Or should be for Ronaldo. Manuel Neuer is an excellent goalkeeper, but what Cristiano has done is spectacular. As the most complete player I would pick Messi, but Ronaldo deserves to win this year,” the Spanish striker said.

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The Real Madrid superstar was forced off with 76 minutes on the clock at the Stade de France, and was later seen on the substitutes bench with an ice pack strapped and bandaged on his left knee.

At the time, the visitors were two goals behind after Karim Benzema opened the scoring and Paul Pogba doubled the advantage, although Ricardo Quaresma made it interesting late on when converting a penalty following his introduction.

Portugal were unable to draw level however, and tasted defeat in Paris ahead of a crucial European Championship qualifier in Denmark on Tuesday night. There must now be questions over Ronaldo’s participation in that match.

Benzema’s opener

That will be of little consequence to Les Bleus, who took the lead after just three minutes when Rui Patricio’s save from a back post Bacary Sagna effort fell into the path of Benzema. The Los Blancos superstar did the rest.

Ronaldo was up to his usual tricks but unable to make a serious dent in the French side, but it was Luis Nani who had the best chance to equalise before half-time. His tame effort whilst one-on-one with Steven Mandanda trickled wide though.

Pogba made him pay after the break, slotting home after good work from Patrice Evra and Benzema created the chance. It proved to be the winner.

Ancelotti injury fear

Before Portugal pulled one back, Ronaldo was forced off to have his knee strapped with 14 minutes left, and that is sure to be a concern to club manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Real Madrid are currently fourth in a domestic league battle with Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla, and the Italian will want his superstar firing on all cylinders at the Santiago Bernabeu with games against Levante, Liverpool and Barca coming up.

The severity of the injury is yet to be confirmed.

France vs Portugal – Friendly (Oct 11, 2014)

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But this weekend Real Madrid teammates Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo prepare to duel for their national sides.

France host Portugal in a friendly but it gives Benzema an opportunity to step out of Ronaldo’s shadow and gun down spotlight-hogging teammate.

Admittedly, Ronaldo is hogging the spotlight with good reason having started the season in astonishing fashion, lashing in three hat-tricks in his last four games. In fact, he’ll have the most hat-tricks in La Liga history if he nets just one more.

The 26-year-old has been the subject of criticism this season, but was recently described by Ronaldo as La Liga’s best and one of the world’s top strikers.

Benzema spoke about his club colleague ahead of the match, saying that it’s pointless comparing him to Lionel Messi as the two have differing playing styles.

“I can’t compare Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi,“ Benzema said.

“They don’t have the same playing style. Both are great players. They are among the best players in the world.

“In my case, I have to keep working and improve my statistics and then win titles, quite simply; collective and individual awards.”

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