Ufisa ukuthi angaphuli amarekhodi kuphela kuma-Euro Championship anonyaka kodwa aphinde aphakamise nendebe umgadli osemnkantshubomvu wasePortugal, uCristiano Ronaldo.
Lo mqhudelwano obanjelwe eGermany uqale ngoLwesihlanu kodwa ezikaRonaldo zizodlala owokuvula kuGroup F neCzech Republic (Czechia) ngoLwesibili.
URonaldo (39), owanqoba lo mqhudelwano okokuqala nePortugal ngo-2016, usethubeni lokuphula inqwaba yamarekhodi aphethwe nguyena, namanye aqoshwa ngabanye abadlali.
Uphethe irekhodi lokudlala lo mqhudelwano amahlandla amaningi njengoba esewudlale kahlanu kusukela ngo-2004 kuya kowakamuva owadlalwa ngo-2021.
Uhamba phambili ngokudlala imidlalo engu-25 kuma-Euro nangokushaya amagoli angu-14 emiqhudelwaneni ehlukene.
Elinye irekhodi aliphethe elokungawuqedi lo mqhudelwano engayibhakuzisanga inethi, kwazise washaya amagoli amabili ngo-2004, elilodwa ngo-2008, amathathu ngo-2012, amanye amathathu ngo-2016 namahlanu ngo-2021.
"Ngiyaziqhenya ngokuba ngumdlali wokuqala ukudlala emiqhudelwaneni eyisithupha ye-Euro. Kuyangijabulisa lokho ngoba kukhombisa ukuthi sengidlale isikhathi eside kangakanani ezingeni eliphezulu. Lesi esinye isahluko ezintweni engizizuzile ebholeni," kusho uRonaldo exoxa ne-website ye-Euro.
“Ngijabule futhi ngizizwa ngikhethekile ngokuthola elinye ithuba lokusiza iqembu lesizwe lifeze izinhloso zalo. Sizozama ukuphinde siwunqobe lo mqhudelwano, iyona nhloso yethu enkulu leyo.”
URonaldo uzobe eneminyaka engu-39 nezinsuku ezingu-120 uma iSelecao isidlala umdlalo wayo wokuqala kuma-Euro anonyaka. Umdlali omdala kunabo bonke owake wangena enkundleni kulo mqhudelwano ngunozinti weHungary, uGábor Király, owayeneminyaka engu-40 nezinsuku ezingu-86 ngo-2016.
Omdala kunabo bonke abadlala phakathi kwagcina kunguLothar Matthäus owadlalela iGermany ibhekene nePortugal ngo-2000 eseneminyaka engu-39.
Mancane amathuba okuthi alenze kube ngelakhe leli rekhodi njengoba esikwatini sePortugal kukhona omunye umakadebona, uPepe, oseneminyaka engu-41.
URonaldo noPepe bazophinde balwele ukuphula irekhodi lika- Ivica Vastić owashayela i-Austria igoli ibhekene nePoland ngo-2008 eseneminyaka engu-38 nezinsuku ezingu-257.
URonaldo ukhombisile ukuthi usalazi ipali ukuthi lingakuphi njengoba ehlohle amagoli angu-44 emidlalweni engu-45 yemiqhudelwano ehlukene ayidlale eqenjini laseSaudi Arabia, i-Al Nassr, ngesizini ka-2023/24 esanda kusongwa.
“Unyaka nonyaka ufika nethuba lokuthuthuka ezintweni ezithile. Ngicabanga ukuthi ngingumdlali ophelele kodwa zikhona izinto engingazenza kangcono. Uma ukhula kukhona lapho uthuthuka khona kodwa futhi zikhona nezinto ongabe usakwazi ukuzenza. Okusemqoka ukukuqoda lokhu ukuze uguqule indlela odlala ngayo,” uqhube kanje uRonaldo.
URonaldo useshayele iPortugal amagoli angu-130 emidlalweni engu-207 selokhu adlala okokuqala eqenjini lesizwe ngo-2003.
Kuma-Euro anonyaka iPortugal ithwelwe ngeqoma ukuthi izidlulele kalula kuGroup F lapho iqhathwe khona neCzechia, Georgia neTürkiye.