Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo created a firestorm on social media earlier in the week as he scored his 900th career goal, a milestone no player in history has reached before.

When being asked about the new landmark, Ronaldo spoke about the idea of playing in the 2026 World Cup and if he's motivated to play in one last World Cup.

"Portugal winning Euros is equivalent to winning a World Cup," Ronaldo said. "I've already won two trophies for Portugal that I really wanted. I'm not motivated by that. I'm motivated by enjoying football and the records come naturally."

For the first time since 2003 neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi have been included in the nominees for the men's Ballon d'Or award, which were announced on Wednesday, with England's Jude Bellingham among the 30 players named.

Portugal's Ronaldo, who has won the award five times, also failed to receive a nomination last year, while Messi, who won for a record eighth time in 2023 and has been nominated 16 times, misses out despite Argentina's Copa America win this year.

Messi and Ronaldo not nominated for Ballon d'Or

HAMBURG, Germany, July 5 (Reuters) - France defender Theo Hernandez struck the winning penalty in a 5-3 shootout win against Portugal to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2024 where they will meet Spain.

Joao Felix missed for Portugal during the shootout which came after the match finished 0-0 following extra time.

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany, June 24 (Reuters) - All eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo in Wednesday’s Euro 2024 match against Georgia after selfie-hunting pitch invaders in Portugal’s last game raised security concerns and forced UEFA to introduce stricter measures to protect the players.

UEFA to increase security to protect players from pitch invaders

Portugal's 3-0 victory over Türkiye was marred by at least six fans invading the pitch desperate to get photos with Ronaldo during and after the game in Dortmund on Saturday.

Cristiano Ronaldo could’ve made history as the first player to score in six different European Championships during Portugal’s 3-0 victory vs. Turkey on Saturday. Instead, he chose the selfless option to set up Bruno Fernandes.

With Portugal leading 2-0 early in the second half, Turkey’s defense broke down and Ronaldo was one-on-one with the goalkeeper. CR7 already has the title of first player to feature in six different Euros. He could now do the unimaginable and be the first player to score in six Euros.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal survived a massive scare from Czechia with a 2-1 victory in their Euro 2024 opener. With all the star power on the field for Portugal, their winning goal came from the unlikeliest of sources as Francisco Conceicao scored his first international goal.

Fans believed that Portugal securing three points from their opener was a given and a look at the stats would back that theory. The Euro favorites had 19 shots to Czechia’s five, 13 corners to Czechia’s zero and 74 PERCENT POSSESSION.

AVEIRO — Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the second half in what might have been his last international appearance on home soil as Portugal beat Ireland 3-0 in their final Euro 2024 warm-up on Tuesday.

The home side took the lead in the 18th minute when Joao Felix drilled the ball into the net following a well-worked short corner, and four minutes later Ronaldo gave notice of his intent by thumping a deflected free kick off the far post.

BERLIN — Tickets to watch Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo train with the national team in an open session on Friday at their Euro 2024 tournament base in Westphalia are on sale for as much as 800 euros ($858.32).

Ronaldo, the leading scorer in men's international football with 128 goals in 204 official matches, will be playing in his sixth Euro, having reached the final on his tournament debut in 2004 and winning the competition in 2016.

The 39-year-old has played in Saudi Arabia since his move there in 2023.

Portugal will benefit from the wealth of experience veteran Cristiano Ronaldo brings to their squad, manager Roberto Martinez said ahead of this month's European Championship in Germany.

Ronaldo, the leading scorer in men's international football with 128 goals in 204 official matches, will be playing in his sixth Euros, having reached the final in his tournament debut in 2004 and winning the competition in 2016.