Budapest: Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother Maria Dolores has shed a light on her son’s playing career and expressed that the Portuguese star will be at the highest level for three to four years more. Dolores was seen cheering for Ronaldo from the stands during Portugal’s Euro 2020 opener against Hungary and remained unvoiced about her son’s next destination..
The 36-year-old has been in impeccable form scoring five goals – highest so far in the tournament – leading Portugal through to the knockouts. With 109 international goals, Ronaldo is currently the joint all-time top-scorer along with former Iranian legend Ali Daei.
“Cristiano is in good shape, he will play three more years,” Dolores told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport after Portugal defeated Hungary3-0 at the Puskas Arena. Ronaldo’s boyhood club Sporting Lisbon were recently crowned Portuguese champion for the first time since 2002 when it beat Boavista 1-0 last month.
Dolores, being an ardent Sporting Lisbon fan, promised the fans earlier that she would convince her son to play at Sporting’s stadium the following season. She has also put forward her wish of his son’s return to Sporting many times.
“I’ll talk to him (Cristiano) to bring him back,” Dolores told the Sporting Lisbon fans from the balcony during the time when the spectators took to the streets in celebration. “Next year he will play in Alvalade (Sporting’s stadium),” she added.
Known to be not a huge fan of defeats, Ronaldo was disappointed after Juventus missed out on their Serie A title to Inter Milan for the first time in 10 years this season. His discontent towards former manager Andrea Pirlo’s decision to sit him out on the bench during certain matches was vivid as Ronaldo believed he could have pulled better results.
With a year of contract left with Juventus, rumours about Ronaldo’s departure from Italy have spread like wildfire. He even fueled the speculations after it came out that Ronaldo has unfollowed Juventus’s official Instagram account contemplating his next step.
Reports emerged the Old Trafford seemed to be Ronaldo’s most plausible destination after he suddenly started following his former club on social media. The rumour got stronger after Manchester United started posting about the five-time Ballon d’Or winner recently.
Speculations are also rife that Barcelona president Juan Laporta indicated his desire to bring Ronaldo to Camp Nou alongside Lionel Messi. Rumours of Paris Saint-Germain trying to make him available beside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are also doing the rounds.
The former seems most unlikely to happen lest that would end the rivalry between the two greatest of the game (Lionel Messi being the other) that has been going on for the last decade which along with the world, themselves are very fond of. Ronaldo’s homecoming to Sporting Lisbon wished by his mother cannot be ruled out.
