The 38-year-old is part of the Portuguese squad which will take on Liechtenstein and Luxembourg
When Portugal takes the pitch on Thursday night, former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo will surpass all other international footballers in terms of appearances.
Ronaldo is scheduled to play against Liechtenstein on Thursday night, making him the only player with the most appearances for an international team.
Ronaldo and Kuwaiti striker Bader Al-Mutawa currently hold the record with 196 appearances each. Al-Mutawa was not selected for his national squad this week, thus the Portuguese legend will now surpass him with a performance versus the European underdogs.
Before the game began, it was made official that Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, a former teammate from Manchester United, were in the starting Nine. Stars from Man City Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva also made their debuts.
After losing to his country in the World Cup, the former Real Madrid, Juventus, and Sporting Lisbon great reveαled he thought about giving up playing for his nation. Following his departure from Old Trafford following the Piers Morgan interview, Ronaldo was the lone free agent at the tournament in Qatar. The current Al-Nassr captain found his importance dwindling as the World Cup went on after scoring in Portugal’s opening group-stage triumph over Ghana.
Ronaldo was a replacement in the knockout rounds, but he was unable to alter the outcome of Portugal’s quarterfinal loss to Morocco. The 38-year-old was photographed crying after the game, and it was widely acknowledged that the World Cup in Qatar was his final.
However, Ronaldo asserted that game might have been his final for Portugal as a whole during a press conference before the game on Wednesday. I’m not going to lie, he said. We have to weigh every aspect of our lives.
“My family and I contemplated our options, but we ultimately decided that we couldn’t give up despite the challenges. I was able to view circumstances from several perspectives. That taught me a lot.
Happy to be back, I sαy. Roberto Martinez shown his reliance on me.
I’ve always wished I could play. As you are aware, he spoke to everyone, including me.
I also came to the realization that I have a lot to offer the national team. I want to elevate Portugal to the highest level because I feel it.
“I’ll always contribute when they need me,” he said.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS submit improved bid for Manchester United
On Thursday afternoon, Sir Jim Ratcliffe submitted a second offer to purchαse Manchester United after the Raine Group approved his requests for an extension of the initial deadline.
After establishing a first soft deadline back in February, the property’s current owners, the Glazer family, established a second deadline of 9 p.m. on Wednesday for potential buyers to submit an offer. By that time, it was believed that Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani had both submitted their offers; however, late-night rυmors that none had been received raised questions.
Both parties, who were thought to be the two front-runners, requested a deadline extension, which Raine Group, the merchant bank managing the sale process on behalf of the Glazers, ultimately approved. And now Ratcliffe, the owner of INEOS, has put out a second offer, which is estimated to be an improvement above the original one of about £4 bιllion. INEOS can confirm we have submitted a revised bid, according to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, according to a statement provided to MEN Sport.
After requesting a similar extension to that of Ratcliffe, Sheikh Jassim is also anticipated to provide a fresh and improved bid shortly. Over the course of a 10-day span in recent weeks, United officials spoke with a number of potential investors. Yesterday, numerous offers were submitted via the Raine Group in New York. Ratcliffe’s offer is for the Glazers’ 69% ownership, while Sheikh Jassim’s offer is anticipated to be a record-breaking offer for a 100% purchαse. Both offers are expected to include some minority stake offers.
Raine Group is anticipated to select a preferred bidder for the current owner’s considerations after receipt of all second-phase bids. As part of their own due diligence, the chosen candidate will also be granted access to private financial data.
If no offers satisfy their expectations, the Glazers may still elect to maintain ownership of the team. The American family, Joel and Avram Glazer in particular, may be persuaded by United’s ongoing success this season to consider selling a minority ownership in the team to a US hedge fund like Elliott Investment Management.
