Ronaldo strike eliminates Morocco

Cristiano Ronaldo was diagnosed on Sunday with a viral infection and will miss Al Nassr's Asian Champions League opener this week at Iraq's Al Shorta.

The Portuguese veteran is targeting Asia's top club crown to add to his long list of achievements when the competition kicks off on Monday.

"Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo was not feeling well today and was diagnosed with a viral infection," said a club statement posted on social media platform X on Sunday.

"The team's doctor confirmed he needs to rest and stay at home. As a result he will not be travelling with the team to Iraq today. We wish our captain a speedy recovery."

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward saw his first attempt with the Saudi side Al Nassr end in a quarter-final penalty shootout defeat to eventual champions Al Ain earlier this year.

Now rebranded as the Asian Champions League Elite, Al Nassr and the other teams from Saudi Arabia will be a major threat after spending vast sums of money in the last two years on the likes of Ronaldo and Neymar.

England forward Ivan Toney was the latest big name to swap Europe for Saudi when he left Brentford for Al Ahli last month for more than $45 million.

As part of the new-look competition, Saudi Arabia -- which is expected to host the 2034 World Cup -- will stage a mini knockout tournament from the quarter-finals onward to decide the champions, who will take home at least $12 million.

Al Nassr, Al Ahli and Neymar's Al Hilal will all be involved when the Champions League Elite launches on Monday with a new format that splits 24 teams evenly into two groups of East and West.

Each team will play eight different opponents in the group stage.

The top eight teams from each zone will play in the last 16 over two legs in March, before the action moves to the final stages in Saudi Arabia from April 25 to May 4.

- Injured Neymar missing -

Saudi champions Al Hilal are looking to win a record-extending fifth Asian title but they are still waiting for the return of Brazilian ace Neymar, who has been sidelined since suffering a serious knee injury last year.

Al Hilal have signed Portugal full-back Joao Cancelo from Manchester City, bolstering a squad that already featured Aleksandar Mitrovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves.

Despite the absence of the 39-year-old Ronaldo for Monday's opening encounter in Bagdad, Al Hilal are still able to call on Sadio Mane, Aymeric Laporte and Marcelo Brozovic.

The defending champions, Al Ain, are from the United Arab Emirates and were coached by Argentina great Hernan Crespo to victory against Japan's Yokohama F-Marinos over two legs in May's final.

Al Ain are one of two UAE clubs taking part in this year's edition, with teams from Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan and Iraq completing the West zone line-up.

In the East, clubs from Japan have posted the best results in recent years and Yokohama return to the Champions League to spearhead their challenge.

Coach Harry Kewell has been sacked since leading them to last season's final, with the former Liverpool and Leeds forward paying the price for his team's lacklustre domestic form.

Kawasaki Frontale and Vissel Kobe are also representing Japan, while three-time champions Pohang Steelers, twice winners Ulsan and debutants Gwangju will carry the flag for South Korea.

Chinese clubs' spending power has long since dried up, but former Chelsea attacker Oscar is still on the books of Shanghai Port, who are led by Australian coach Kevin Muscat.

Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua are also involved from China, while one club each from Australia, Thailand and Malaysia feature in the East league stage.

Cristiano Ronaldo says Erik ten Hag's attitude is too negative, urging the Manchester United manager to target the Premier League title even though the club need to "rebuild from the bottom".

The Portugal star, who now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, fell out with Ten Hag before his second spell at Old Trafford ended late in 2022.

Ronaldo believes his former club needs sweeping changes but that Ten Hag should not rule out winning major trophies in the meantime.

The Dutchman has said he is "quite confident" of claiming more silverware this campaign after lifting the League Cup and FA Cup over the past two seasons.

But he said in July his team are a "long way away" from being ready to win the Premier League, which they have not won since Alex Ferguson's final season in charge in 2013.

"Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion," Ronaldo said in an episode of the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, due to be released on Thursday.

"The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the league and Champions League. Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you're not going to fight to win the league or Champions League.

"You have to be, to mentally say, listen, maybe we don't have that potential, but I cannot say that. We're going to try. You have to try."

United upset Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May but they endured their worst Premier League campaign last term, finishing eighth, and the 20-time English champions have lost two of their opening three matches this season.

"This club needs time to rebuild because it's still one of the best clubs in the world, but they need to change," Ronaldo said.

"They understand that. This is the only way. This is why they show, they start to change again, the structure of the club, the president, the infrastructures and everything. The owners of the club."

'Bright future' 

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe completed his purchase of a minority stake in the club in February and has since overseen major changes in the club hierarchy after taking control of football operations.

"I believe that the future will be bright," said Ronaldo. "I believe, but they don't depend only on the talents. It's more than that. It's all club, all, not only players, club, everything as a unit, united.

"They have to rebuild from the bottom. If not, they cannot compete. It will be impossible."

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo, who spent six seasons with United earlier in his career, scored 27 goals in 54 appearances during his second spell at Old Trafford after signing from Juventus in 2021.

Following his exit just over a year later, he claimed he felt "betrayed", while saying of Ten Hag: "I don't have respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me."

However, the 39-year-old said he still loves the club.

"I'm not happy the way it all happened but, in the same way, we cannot control some points of our life sometimes, but it's done, already done," he said.

"To prove that I'm right or wrong, this is not my issue any more. I say what I have to say and for me it's done."

He added: "I love that club. I'm not that kind of guy that forgot the past."

 Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been a model of longevity for more than two decades in an outstanding career, breaking numerous records and playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world, and he will be determined to make his mark at Euro 2024.

His move away from the European elite to Saudi Arabia after a disappointing showing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which ended with Portugal's shock 1-0 defeat by Morocco in the quarter-finals, has raised questions about whether the 39-year-old Ronaldo's brilliant career is nearing an end.

However, he will be out to prove he can still make a difference at the highest level and will arrive in Germany for Euro 2024 as the trusted leader of a talented team under the guidance of former Belgium manager Roberto Martinez.

Among Ronaldo's many achievements, he is the leading scorer in the history of men's international football with 128 goals in 204 official matches.

Almost 20 years have passed between his first Portugal goal against Greece at Euro 2004 and his most recent versus Lichtenstein in November 2023 -- with the nation's 2016 Euros triumph the pinnacle of his international career.

Ronaldo has scored 891 times in his career, holds the record for the most Champions League goals in the competition's history with 140 and is the only player to have scored in five consecutive European Championship tournaments.

He will try to extend that record in Germany as he edges close to 900 goals, a number that could be within reach during the tournament. But his aim is much higher.

"It's going to be quite difficult to reach 1,000 goals but it's about how I am mentally, my motivation," Ronaldo said after scoring twice against Slovakia.

"If, physically, my legs treat me as well as I treat them... We'll see. To get to 1,000, you have to get to 900 first. I think I'll get there."

Having scored 10 goals in the last 12 games with Portugal and 42 in 41 matches with Al-Nassr this season, Ronaldo's relentless mentality could be the key to him making a statement with his country in Germany against all odds.

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez said there was no blame to cast after Joao Felix missed the penalty that resulted in their exit from the European Championship and likely brought the curtain down on Cristiano Ronaldo's international career.

Felix fired his penalty against the post -- the only miss of the shootout -- and then buried his face in his hands, with France winning 5-3 in Friday's quarter-final after a goalless stalemate at the end of extra time.

"I can tell you that the whole squad was supporting each other and only players who never shoot a penalty never miss," Martinez said. "Joao has great control of the inside game, he worked hard to be there and this penalty is bad luck."

The miss from the 24-year-old Atletico Madrid forward gave France the advantage and Theo Hernandez fired past goalkeeper Diogo Costa -- who had been superb in stopping three Slovenia penalties in the last 16 -- to send France to the semi-finals.

The loss likely marked the end of Ronaldo's 21-year international career, as he has said his record sixth Euros tournament would be his last.

The 39-year-old converted Portugal's first kick in the shootout but was also responsible for squandering perhaps their best chance of the night.

After the final whistle, centre-back Pepe collapsed sobbing into Ronaldo's arms, the curtain surely also coming down on the 41-year-old defender's international career.

"Pepe is everything he showed in the tournament, not just during the matches, but the way he works through training sessions, the way he supports his colleagues, his commitment," Martinez said.

"And his tears are tears of frustration. Because when you play against the better opponents, there's no tears. The tears are there because it's hard to accept that tonight with our performance, we will drop by the wayside.

"But other than that, Pepe is a role model in Portuguese football and what he did tonight and during the tournament will stay with us, with the next generations."

Ronaldo has gone nine games without a goal for Portugal and missed a golden opportunity to score during extra time when Francisco Conceicao broke behind the French defence and cut back a pass to Ronaldo just outside the six-yard box.

However, Ronaldo launched the ball wildly over the crossbar -- far from a fairytale ending, if it is indeed the end, of an international career that has brought 212 caps and 130 goals.

Martinez said there were plenty of positives from the game, including the fact Portugal had 63% possession.

"The individual talent of this team is there for all of us to see," he said. "They showed great unity and knew how to suffer, always with the desire to win.

"We lost but we lost with pride, always giving everything in every minute, in true Portuguese style. We won't stop here. In the future, we will give everything."

President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday to congratulate the winning team, President Vladimir Putin, and Russia after the World Cup final, which he called "one of the best ever!"

"Congratulations to France, who played extraordinary soccer, on winning the 2018 World Cup. Additionally, congratulations to President Putin and Russia for putting on a truly great World Cup Tournament one of the best ever!," he wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the national team of France defeated Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final match in Moscow to snatch its second World Cup Trophy.