Close family and friends and stars of the world of football will gather Saturday for the funeral of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his brother 48 hours after the siblings' car crash.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he was "heartbroken" to learn Diogo Jota, who he signed in 2020, had died with his younger brother Andre in a car crash on Thursday.
'Jota was not only a fantastic player with almost 50 caps for the national team, but also an extraordinary person'
The triumph, which left the five-times Champions League winner in tears, was Ronaldo's third on the international stage, accompanying his 2016 European Championship and 2019 Nations League winners' medals.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez and midfielder Bernardo Silva praised Cristiano Ronaldo for his "hunger" and "ambition" after the 40-year-old striker continued to defy the years with a 68th-minute winner against Germany on Thursday, which booked a spot in Sunday's Nations League final.
Ronaldo's 68th-minute tap in, a record-extending 137th international goal, sealed a first win over Germany after five losses, the 40-year-old's longest streak against any national side without tasting victory.
Ronaldo had reached 900 career goals with his 131st international strike in Thursday's victory over Croatia.
If there is one thing that Cristiano Ronaldo could not master in his illustrious career, it is the concept of giving up.
Ronaldo, 39, turned in a Nuno Mendes cross in the 34th minute of the match at the Estadio da Luz to reach the landmark.
Youngster Francisco Conceicao snatched Portugal a last-gasp 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in their Euro 2024 Group F opener on Tuesday just minutes after coming off the bench.
The veteran forward, 39, says his team "deserve" to win another major international trophy to add to their singular triumph, at Euro 2016.
"The Portuguese expect a lot from Portugal, there's no margin for error, none, they always want Portugal to win because of the generation, the talent there is," said Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, the leading scorer in men's international football with 128 goals in 204 official matches, will be playing in his sixth Euros, having reached the final on his tournament debut in 2004 and winning the competition in 2016.
"Cristiano had very consistent performances at his club. There is no doubt that he is an incredible scorer," Martinez told reporters on Friday ahead of their friendly match against Croatia on Saturday.
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.
Portugal slipped to a surprise 2-0 defeat to Slovenia in a Euro 2024 friendly in Ljubljana on Tuesday, their first defeat since the arrival of Spanish coach Roberto Martinez who had previously won eleven games in a row.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who had just recently become the first footballer to achieve 800 career wins, was included in the Portugal squad for the upcoming friendly matches against Sweden and Slovenia.
Bruno Fernandes and Ricardo Horta netted the goals for Roberto Martinez's Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo not on the scoresheet, to end with 10 wins from 10 matches in Group J.
Defender Pepe and midfielder Matheus Nunes return to the Portugal squad, named on Friday for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Iceland next week.
