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June 5, 2025
Cristiano Ronaldo keeps rewriting the script. At 40, he’s just dragged Portugal back to the UEFA Nations League final—again. Whether it’s Spain or France waiting in the last match, one thing’s clear: Portugal isn’t just dreaming of a second title. With Ronaldo around, they’re daring to expect it.
Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t know how to fade quietly. At 40, he’s still the guy Portugal turns to when things get tight — and he just proved that again. On Wednesday night, it was his late winner that sealed a 2-1 victory over Germany and sent Portugal into another Nations League final. Another big moment. Another Ronaldo stamp. He didn’t run the game, but he didn’t need to. One swing of the right foot and the match flipped. Portugal haven’t beaten Germany in a competitive match for over two decades. Ronaldo changed that with a single goal. And now, they wait — France or Spain. Final’s coming. He’ll be ready.
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Cristiano Ronaldo - Helping Portugal beating Germany
The Nations League isn’t new territory for Portugal — or Ronaldo. Back in 2019, when this tournament was still trying to prove it mattered, he made it matter. Scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in the semis. Then helped Portugal edge the Netherlands to become the first-ever champions. That win might’ve felt like a novelty at the time. Now? It looks more like the start of something.
This year’s path has been trickier. Less dominance, more grind. But the end goal’s the same. And Ronaldo’s still here, still chasing silverware like it’s 2004.
EM FRENTE, PORTUGAL!! pic.twitter.com/KKuCip7yt8
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) June 4, 2025
But let’s be real — Portugal aren’t a one-man band. This squad is deep, technical, and sharper than ever. Bruno Fernandes is dictating tempo again. Vitinha’s growing into a real engine in midfield. Bernardo Silva’s doing that thing where he looks like he’s everywhere at once — pressing, drifting, threading passes through tight gaps.
Even off the bench, the quality’s there. Francisco Conceição didn’t need more than a few touches to change the game against Germany. And at the back, guys like Rúben Dias and Nuno Mendes are quietly locking things down.
What makes this version of Portugal dangerous is that they’ve got options. The spine is solid, the wings have pace, and no one’s relying on Ronaldo to do it all — just to do it when it counts. And that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday.
| PLAYER | CLUB | GAMES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Al Nassr | 45 | 39 | 7 |
| Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | 63 | 19 | 18 |
| Bernardo Silva | Manchester City | 49 | 5 | 4 |
| Vitinha | Paris Saint-Germain | 50 | 6 | 9 |
| Nuno Mendes | Paris Saint-Germain | 42 | 2 | 11 |
Roberto Martínez has had his share of critics. Some say he’s too cautious, too structured. But in the semi-final, he made the right calls at the right time. Germany scored early in the second half, and the game felt like it was slipping.
Enter Francisco Conceição. One moment of space, one shot — boom, 1–1. Then came the winner. Cristiano Ronaldo in the right place, again. Martínez didn’t overcomplicate it. He saw what needed changing, and he trusted his bench. That matters in tight tournament football.
We’ll know soon enough who Portugal will face in the final — France or Spain. It’s a coin flip. Spain will try to smother with possession. France will try to outrun and overpower. Both have match-winners. Both know how to scrap.
But Portugal? They’ve got belief. And they’ve got a captain who lives for moments like this. This isn’t about Ronaldo proving anything anymore. This is about him adding one more photo to the wall. One more medal to the list.
If you’ve been watching him long enough, you know better than to bet against him.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Portugal is on June 8, against Spain or France, for the UEFA Nations League final. You can watch Portugal vs Spain or France, Chile vs Argentina, Spain vs France, Andorra vs England, Norway vs Italy and Ecuador vs Brazil, all matches provided from our soccer live streaming game pages.
Portugal next game:
Portugal vs Spain or France kick-off time (08-06-2025):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+7: 03:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+4.30: 00:30
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+2: 22:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 17:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 16:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 13:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / uefa.com / bluewin.ch
