'Not many players in world as lethal as Ronaldo'

New Delhi, June 11: The 2024 Euros are just around the corner and just like it has been for the past two decades, the spotlight will fall on Cristiano Ronaldo who has often been hailed as Portugal’s greatest player ever.

The 39-year-old has not scored an international goal since November, 2023 and has also been benched a few times for young striker Goncalo Ramos.

Ahead of the tournament, India’s all-time top scorer Sunil Chhetri talked about Ronaldo's role and importance in the team in an exclusive conversation with IANS.

"I hope Ronaldo starts as many games as possible. I would love to see him. I think if there’s one team that can keep him as a number nine and not expect too much defensive work, I don’t mean that he should not or that he does not but I’m saying can expect less is Portugal," Chhetri told IANS.

"It is a star-studded team they're very good at keeping the ball, more than often they're dominating. They are dominant when it comes to keeping the ball more than often. They have some top players so they can afford to have Ronaldo on the box," he added.