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UEFA Nations League - English
Cristiano Ronaldo continues to cement his legacy as one of the best soccer players in history, adding a UEFA Nations League to his resume.
Portugal became the first team to win the UEFA Nations League on two occasions after beating Spain 5-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in the final at the Munich Football Arena.
Cristiano Ronaldo shows a rare side of him after celebrating the UEFA Nations League title
Cristiano scored his eight goal in the Nations League – his 138th international strike – after his teammate Nuno Mendes took a shot at the goal, darting past Lamine Yamal before his deflected cross found Ronaldo, who held off Marc Cucurella to volley in from close range. CRT became the first player over the age of 40 to play and score in the final.
Cristiano Ronaldo shows a rare side of him
Ronaldo was overwhelmed with emotion after Portugal beat neighbours Spain. “Winning for Portugal is always special. I have many titles with clubs, but nothing is better than winning for Portugal,” Cristiano told reporters after the game. “It’s tears. It’s mission accomplished and pure joy,” added the striker.
And at the Portuguese celebration, it was all fun and joy, indeed. A video posted by the Portugal National Football Team on X shows Cristiano like we rarely see him: showing off some very deserving victory dance moves, while the rest of his teammates cheered.
“I am very happy for Cristiano Ronaldo. We need him with us; he is our role model; he is the leader; the expert. The winning mentality comes with him; he talks to everyone constantly. He never stops giving advice to everyone; his attitude is amazing. Help us develop a lot,” said Nuno Mendes after the game.
A special title for a special generation
Making a record 221st international appearance, 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo showed that his goalscoring instincts remain sharp as ever when he volleyed in Nuno Mendes’ deflected cross in the 61st minute for his 138th international goal (also a record).
“Winning with the national team is always something very special, especially in front of our fans, our country, our family and our children. Before the game, at the hotel, I said this generation deserved a major trophy and we were successful. We played against two great teams, but we showed that we are a young and very competitive team, and can play well against any team.”
Ronaldo also captained Portugal to their previous Nations League triumph in 2019 and success at UEFA EURO 2016, but it was a first taste of international glory for Nuno Mendes, though the left-back was only eight days removed from winning the Champions League with Paris at Munich Football Arena.
This news was originally published on this post .
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