OUR Euros fantasy game offers Dream Team managers the chance to once again take charge of an XI starring Cristiano Ronaldo (£6m).
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner still holds the record for most points earned in a single Dream Team campaign – he amassed 477 for Manchester United in 2007/08 – and as the all-time top goalscorer in international football history he is clearly an asset who deserves suitable consideration.
Few players possess such aura and pedigree but at 39 years old the question will be asked whether he is still capable of lighting up a major international tournament?
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Dream Team bosses keen on Ronaldo have plenty of reasons to be hopeful of mega returns.
The prolific striker heads to Germany having plundered 50 goals in as many games for Al Nassr in 2023/24.
He was ruthless during Euro 2024 qualifying too, scoring ten goals in nine outings – only Romelu Lukaku (£5.5m) bagged more.
Ronaldo also registered the most shots on target (worth a point each in Dream Team Euros) during qualifying while no player averaged more shots per 90 minutes.
Simply put, he’s a potent threat and arguably the most complete goalscorer to ever play the game.
And broadly speaking, Portugal are well placed to go deep at Euro 2024.
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They’re set to face Czech Republic, Turkey and Georgia in Group F, which has to be considered a relatively favourable draw.
At £6m, Ronaldo is among the most-expensive players in Dream Team Euros but he’s £1.5m cheaper than Harry Kane (£7.5m) and Kylian Mbappe (£7.5m).
Gaffers keen on a top-tier forward could select Ronaldo in place of either the England or France captain and invest the extra £1.5m elsewhere.
The case for selecting Portugal’s talisman is strong but some gaffers will have their doubts.
His scoring record in Saudi Arabia is impressive on paper but it’s difficult to gauge the standard of the league in relation to the European top tiers.
Similarly, Roberto Martinez’s side came out of qualifying with the best record (most wins, most goals scored, fewest goals conceded) but they too benefited from some friendly match-ups.
Half of Ronaldo’s goals came from three games against Lichtenstein and Luxembourg.
The latter, currently sandwiched between Zambia and China in the world rankings, finished third in a weak group.
Portugal could only beat what was put in front of them but there’s a suggestion Ronaldo might head to Germany having played against sub-par opposition for both club and country across the last 18 months.
Therefore, there’s a chance he may be caught out by the sudden jump in standard expected at Euro 2024 – then again, he’s a man who has thrived under the brightest spotlights time and time again.
Experienced Dream Team managers will remember Ronaldo quickly became an expensive asset to avoid at the 2022 World Cup.
He scored a penalty in Portugal’s opening win over Ghana but after ineffective showings against Uruguay and South Korea, and behavioural issues, he was dropped from the starting line-up for the round of 16 and quarter-final, where his side were ultimately eliminated by Morocco.
Of course, that was all Fernando Santos’ doing, who has since been replaced in the dugout by Martinez.
The former Belgium coach has reinstated Ronaldo as first-choice striker.
With just over two weeks until the tournament gets underway, Ronaldo currently features in 13.5% of teams created.
That makes him the fourth most-selected striker at the time of writing but it will be interesting to see whether he gains or loses popularity as the Matchday 1 deadline nears.
Few players have a higher ceiling when everything clicks but many gaffers will be reluctant to back a 39-year-old who has been playing in the Saudi Pro League for the last year.
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Decisions, decisions…
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
