So, what went down?
Despite playing more minutes for his country than any of his international teammates in the tournament, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner failed to score a goal and was overcome with emotion after missing an extra-time penalty in a last-16 match against Slovenia.In the 2023–24 season, Ronaldo scored 50 goals for Al-Nassr, setting the stage for another European Championship. This would be the eleventh major tournament in his incredible career. But, his capacity to make a significant contribution after reaching 39 is being questioned.Over the years, CR7 has made fools of those who doubted him, and he plans to continue that trend in the 2024–25 season. After a long hiatus, he is back with the rest of the club’s players and the evergreen forward showed up for preseason training beaming with joy.On Sunday, Al-Nassr will play host to Granada in a friendly match. On August 14, they will face Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Super Cup semi-finals, beginning their first hunt for silverware this season.
United have already signed the “new Cristiano Ronaldo,” as the club’s candid admission shows
So far in preseason, Manchester United fans have seen very little of their summer acquisitions.
Joshua Zirkzee has been training at Carrington this week instead of taking a flight to the US to finish out the club’s tour, thus he hasn’t played in any of the five friendlies the club has played since signing with them about a month ago. It took the Dutch two and a half weeks after losing the European Championship to England before they even started practicing on Monday.
Although fans have witnessed Leny Yoro play, it was just for two games totaling 80 minutes before the adolescent suffered a right foot fracture. The defender won’t be back in action until October, but Zirkzee won’t have to wait nearly as long.Although the forward has not yet participated in full squad training, Erik ten Hag has brought him up as a potential replacement for Hojlund. “Joshua Zirkzee, he is coming in, he has started training,” remarked the United manager following the preseason friendly against Liverpool. “But also consider that he is not so long in training, so that will take time. He has to adapt to English football and our way of playing as well.”
The Community Shield next weekend may be coming up at the last minute, but Ten Hag has said that everyone who isn’t on tour should be prepared for the season opener. Zirkzee has assured United supporters that he will wow them like Cristiano Ronaldo did before his debut.
What he really wanted was to play a game without any distractions, he told The Mirror. Football is the proper place for nutmegs, chops, and back heels. In my opinion, that style is valuable. It’s my inner soccer child coming out, because the game is meant to be enjoyable, too.
“You need to time everything correctly. It’s a gut feeling. I consider my abilities to be first-rate. That occupied a great deal of my childhood. But as soon as the ball is out of my possession, I want to rush over to my teammates and get it back. The elegant footwork, though, is an integral aspect of my game.
“Every once in a while, I’ll play midfield. My motivation is to contribute to the team’s success, not my own. A fake striker is how I describe myself. This is not a No. 9 or 10. I have a 9.5. I’m all for that. Perhaps I stand out from the crowd a bit. Though, surely, standing out is an asset.