Cristiano Ronaldo admits anxiety about his European Championship debut and sees Portugal team “very prepared”

At 39 years old, owner of five Ballon d’Ors and winner of 35 titles, Cristiano Ronaldo still feels those ‘butterflies in his stomach’ before making his debut in a competition. This Thursday, in a quick interview with journalists upon the arrival of the Portuguese delegation at the hotel in Germany, the star admitted that he was looking forward to his debut in Euro Cup of 2024.

Portugal makes its Euro debut next Tuesday (18), when it faces the Czech Republic in the first round of Group F. The ball starts at 4pm (Brasília time), at the Red Bull Arena, on German soil. Cristiano said that anxiety “always exists”, but that he feels happy to continue experiencing this feeling.

“Anxiety always exists. There’s always that tingling in your stomach, especially the day before the game or during the games themselves. But that’s normal, that’s part of it. It’s a good thing I feel it, because when you don’t feel it, it’s better to give up and stop. That’s good. I still feel very motivated, it’s a different competition and we’re preparing ourselves”, said the star.

Also during the chat with journalists, the striker, now at Al-Nassr (Saudi Arabia), commented on his expectations for the competition. Euro champions in 2016, the Portuguese team is looking for a second title – and CR7 sees his team well prepared for the tournament.

“It’s step by step, living in the moment, being calm and working as we have done so far. It’s believing that it’s possible. It’s game by game, we need to be calm. We know it’s a short competition, but I think the team is very prepared. It’s about preparing ourselves in the best way possible and starting well, because that’s essential”, she said.

Touch down ✈️🇵🇹#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/8ecVrdKnMZ

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 13, 2024

“I see the team quite calm, I don’t see anyone anxious. Very excited, very happy. I believe that this generation deserves to win a competition of this magnitude, but we’ll see”, added the athlete.

Finally, there was still time for Cristiano to talk about records. Once he takes to the field at this Euro, he will become the player with the most appearances in the competition, with six. He will surpass former Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas and isolate himself in the rankings.

“I enjoy football, records are a consequence. For me, it’s not a goal. I think it comes naturally. I’m happy to be in my sixth European Cup and it’s about enjoying it in the best way. Playing well, that the team can win, try to do my best and enjoy”, concluded the number 7.

Portugal is in Group F of the European Championship and, in addition to the Czech Republic, will also face Turkey and Georgia in search of a place in the knockout stages. Cristiano is looking for his third title with the national team – he has already won Euro 2016 and the Nations League in the 2018/19 season.

𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗥𝗜́𝗩𝗘𝗟 🤯🇵🇹 #SharingThePassion | #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/XIGM99fjon

— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) June 13, 2024