Euro 2024: People Love To Talk, Cristiano Ronaldo Loves To Perform – Robin Singh

In a few hours, Germany will compete against Scotland to commence the UEFA Euro 2024. Prior to the commencement, The Quint caught up with former Indian footballer Robin Singh, for an interaction organised by Sony Sports Network, to discuss the major talking points of the 51-match caravan – including whether Cristiano Ronaldo should feature in Portugal’s starting XI, will football finally ‘come home’ for England, and who could be the dark horses.

Here are the excerpts:

Let’s get straight into it – Who are your title favourites for the Euro 2024?

Wow, straight into the thing! I think favourites have to be France. With the squad that they have, it'll be very hard to beat them. Besides them, there’s Germany. They will play in home stadiums, which is always going to be an advantage.

There are Spain and Portugal as well, but I’ll keep France at the top. With the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Aurelien Tchouameni and William Saliba at the back, they will be a dangerous team.

Since you’ve mentioned France, here’s a fun fact. Kylian Mbappe is a World Cup winner & a World Cup Golden Boot winner, we all know that. But he has yet to score a single goal in the Euros. Not only that, but he also missed the penalty against Switzerland last time, which led to France’s elimination. Captaining such a star-studded team in a major event at only 25 years of age, could the pressure and expectations be overwhelming for him?

I think no, and I say this because when you're scoring a hat-trick at the highest level, it's not by chance. Playing at the highest level and consistently scoring goals does not happen by chance. And when you say leadership, you also have to look at what's next.

The coach (Didier Deschamps) is day in and day out with the player watching him on the pitch and off the pitch, seeing how is he carrying himself. When it comes to Mbappe, I think the coach sees a switch, I would say, where he's like ‘You know what, this boy is leading now.’ And that's where the band goes.

It has to be a group of leaders that go on together as the strongest unit to win games. I think that's what France have at the moment, with the likes of Mbappe leading them, but also Tchouameni, Camavinga, Saliba and Dembele. I think they are all leaders.

Let’s talk about the player at the opposite end of the age spectrum – Cristiano Ronaldo. There’s a huge public discourse about him currently. One school of thought says Ronaldo should of course feature in the starting XI, but there’s another school of thought which says Portugal should perhaps prefer someone like Goncalo Ramos of PSG, considering Ronaldo’s age, and the fact that he doesn’t even play in Europe anymore. Where do you stand in this debate?

Listen, first and foremost, whoever says Ronaldo can't play at the highest level, show him that goal in the friendly against Ireland. That step-over and a top corner finish is enough to tell you what he is about. When you say he is not playing in one of the best leagues, it's about making sure that you perform at your highest.

We've seen enough emotions from him throughout the Saudi Arabian league. We have seen him crying at games, him not happy with his teammates, him getting frustrated. A lot of people will say that he is getting too frustrated. Yes, that is because he has played at the highest level. He demands his teammates to perform at the highest level. And sometimes it is frustrating because you want to be at your highest level.

About some people saying Ronaldo should not play – listen, if the likes of Roy Keane are talking about why Manchester United don't have Ronaldo when you want goal-scorers, it is enough thought for everybody. People love to talk Ronaldo loves to perform is all I can say

A follow-up question will be that for decades, Ronaldo and Messi have been neck-and-neck in the GOAT debate. Now, all of a sudden, the world is at Messi’s feet since the 2022 World Cup. Do you think the Euros will be Ronaldo’s last opportunity to re-enter the GOAT debate?

I think this is Portugal's opportunity. And I say this because you're only as strong as your weakest link. But when you look at that Portugal side, they have a great team. There is Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Raphael Leao, then there is Goncalo Ramos. We know he can come off the bench and score goals. There is another fine young talent called Francisco Conceicao. I saw him playing the other night. I had to Google him to see what he's about. He is quick. Everything is falling in place for Portugal to go as far as they can. I wouldn't call them contenders, but they could be the dark horses along with a few other teams.

So let’s talk about the dark horses now. There’s Croatia, who played in a World Cup final and a semi-final. However, their stars are ageing. There’s Belgium, who had an excellent squad not very long ago. Do you think these teams can potentially go on to lift the trophy?

I think it will be a little difficult for Croatia, let's just be honest. But I am surprised you haven't mentioned Netherlands in that conversation, because they are amazing. About Belgium, we've always said golden period, but the players have to perform. Have they?

This could be Belgium's time to perform and show why they are the best. If you look at Belgium, you're going to talk about Kevin De Bruyne. For the whole last season, the question was – can he stay fit? One of the reasons why we saw Phil Foden win Player of the Year was because he took over the charge when De Bruyne was injured.

I think Netherlands are better placed than Belgium. They have got one of the best defences in the league, with four clean sheets in the last five games. And then when you look at the front line, there is Memphis Depay, there is Cody Gako, then there is Denzel Dumfries on the overlap. So, I think this side could also cause a lot of issues for any side. When you speak of dark horses, I would put Netherlands over Belgium at the moment.

Another team we must discuss is England. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. They have a spectacular squad this time. There’s Harry Kane – among the most lethal strikers in the world. There’s Jude Bellingham – a contender to win the Ballon d’Or. Then there are young showstoppers like Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden. Is the trophy finally ‘coming home’?

Listen, firstly, can I just cut-copy-paste your answer? You just answered everything as to why England should be winning this. Secondly, it's time. I think Harry Kane performed really well in the Bundesliga. One thing that is very important coming into such tournaments is momentum. And I think that's something England have at the moment.

Kane is playing really well. Jude Bellingham won the Champions League. Phil Foden won the Player of the Year. Declan Rice was one of the best centre midfielders last season. It is a squad that has to perform now. They have a wealth of experience and confidence, but it's just like having everything to make the dish, but not the chef. So, Southgate has to pull the rabbit out of his hat and make sure that he can get England somewhere. Otherwise, there will always be a question mark about them.

Robin, we’ve spoken about Ronaldo and Mbappe. Of course, we’ll keep eyes on them, but so will the entire world. Who are some players who might be going under the radar now, but could set the stage ablaze at the Euros?

I think one player that I really want to see will be Ada Guler. Turkey is going to be a thorn in a lot of people's feet. They are in the same group as Portugal, but the other two teams are Czechia and Georgia. I think Turkey will make it out of that group, alongside Portugal.

Apart from that, I saw Xavi Simons play the other night for Netherlands. Oh my god! That boy is lethal. He has pace, he has confidence, he can take on players. There is Conceicao of Portugal, I think his pace will trouble a lot of people for sure.

Then there is Jamal Musiala of Germany, only 21 years of age. He will not be sold for at least the next decade, that is how good he has been for Bayern Munich. And I'm sure that Germany knows what a diamond they have at the moment.