It really was the defining moment that summed up a dour Euro 2016 tournament for every other team apart from the eventual winners, Cristiano Ronaldo asserting his influence on the Portugal side by man handling coach Santos in the dying seconds his the side’s win over France.
Whilst you would presume the man with the all time top scorer record for his club side would assert slightly less of an influence over Real Madrid, it’s understood that Ronaldo does tend to bend the ear of manager Zinedine Zidane when it comes to new Los Blancos recruits.
Currently being eyed up by the biggest ego in world football, is 22 year old left back Raphael Guerreiro, a fellow compadre on the most famous night in Portuguese footballing history.
Asked by German magazine 11 Freunde which player from either Dortmund or Bayern he would love to play along at the Bernabeu in the near future, the Yellow Wall favourite got the nod ahead of an array of Europe’s biggest attacking talent.
“Perhaps my team-mate in Portugal, Raphael Guerreiro”, he commented.
It’s probably worth reminding ourselves that the former Manchester United player overlooked potential world beater and fellow countryman Renato Sanches….Perhaps we sense a rivalry coming on.
Portuguese left back and good friend Fabio Coentrao also probably had something to say about the potential competition.
Whatever happens, being under contract with Dortmund until 2020, a sizeable offer will be required to pull Guerreiro from the grip of the Bundesliga title chasers.
Added to that, the former Lorient players has carved himself a pretty decent place in the side considering the side’s overall strength on the left hand side.
Reeling from the exit of key man Gundogan to Manchester City over the summer, the Portugal international has stunned German pundits alike with some superb performances as a defensive midfielder.
With a deadly left foot (he’s in fact taken over duty of most set pieces) partnered with a natural footballers brain, expect Guerreiro to be a subject of transfer tittle tattle among Europe’s elite clubs for some time.
Also.
Zidane thinks Ronaldo should win the Ballon D’or.
(Via Goal)