Will Ronaldo finally get a World Cup winners medal?

Currently, European champions Portugal, led by star man Cristano Ronaldo, are 28/1 to win the World Cup. This sounds a little strange, as teams such as Belgium and England, who have not had anywhere near the recent continental success, along with Argentina who barely managed to qualify, all have much better odds to leave Russia with silverware. This may be due to the fact that a Portuguese team led by an aging Ronaldo will have to play exceptionally well to achieve success on the world stage.

Nobody can argue that Ronaldo isn’t talented, nor can they argue that he cannot be a game changer, even at 33 years old. At perhaps his penultimate World Cup, this is really his last chance to truly be a star, taking the tournament by storm. The trouble is that Portugal really have struggled when Ronaldo hasn’t been performing. Portugal managed to reach the semi finals of the European championship without winning a game during regulation time. This suggests that their defense is talented led by players such as Pepe, and Rui Patricio between the sticks, and this is fantastic news. But when Ronaldo isn’t firing, seemingly nobody is on offense. This is odd, especially with exceptional players like Nani and Quaresma on the field. They are stars in their own right but when they play without Ronaldo, Portugal definitely look less threatening, and this is very worrying. Ronaldo is seemingly the spark, and upon his retirement, who knows what will happen to Portugal. But in the meantime, how will they fair in Russia? All it will take is a knock, either physical or mental, on their star man, and Portugal’s World Cup dreams could be in tatters. 

Another interesting development is the decline of the performances of Renato Sanches, voted best young player in Euro 2016, and deservedly so. The defensive midfielder had an exceptional tournament, earning himself a move to Bayern Munich. However once there, the teenager struggled to live up to his former self, making errant passes, and committing many needless fouls. Eventually, Bayern sent him out on loan to Swansea City in the EPL where his poor form has continued. What does this mean for the boy who was once deemed the next bright star in European soccer?

The main problem facing Ronaldo and his teammates will be the quality of opposition. In Euro 2016, one could argue that Portugal really didn’t face a top quality side other than France in the final. Now, they must prove to the world that they can play, and win, against the worlds best, with sides such as Brazil and Germany looking powerful in the build up to the competition. Portugal will be relying on aging athletes to propel them past neighbors Spain, as well as a well organized Morocco team, and an electric Iranian side, and this is all just during the group stage. After that, the real challenges begin and it is difficult to judge whether this team will have what it takes to leave Russia with winners medals. This is not to say that they won’t get it done, and they certainly have the quality and potential to achieve success. But every player will have to step up, and play well for all 90 minutes of each game. This is the only way that they can help Ronaldo finally get the elusive World Cup trophy he deserves.

Note: This is part one of a two part series about trophy hunting. Keep an eye out for the Lionel Messi edition, coming out in a few days!