Portugal-Switzerland is worth its weight in gold for Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo puts his money to good use: he is back in the lineup after a break, the striker returns to Portugal for the semi-final of the League of Nations on Wednesday against Switzerland (18:45 GMT). The opportunity to aim for an unprecedented trophy and shine for the Ballon d'Or.
 
In the fall, just after his transfer to Juventus Turin, the superstar (34) had coach Fernando Santos to be exempted from national team for six games, time to adapt to his new Italian life.
 
"Her absence during the qualification phase was well explained, she was totally legitimate and understandable," commented Santos.
 
And here is "CR7" back: he was recalled in March for the start of the campaign of eliminating the Euro-2020, with the objective of defending next year the continental crown won in 2016 with the "Selecçao ".
 
Meanwhile, the Madeira striker can enhance his impressive record of another title, the silver trophy of the all-new UEFA League of Nations, whose final four-team is played this week in Porto and Guimaraes, in the north of Portugal.
 
"It's always a pleasure to be back in my country - go to Portugal!" Ronaldo wrote on his Instagram account.

Tenth final phase for "CR7"


As soon as an international trophy is in play, the five-fold Golden Ball is present, as in the Confederations Cup in Russia in 2017 (3rd place for the Portuguese). Moreover, this week, Ronaldo will live his 10th finals with selection A since Euro-2004, already at home.
 
As a result of its short-lived withdrawal from the squad: it has been almost a year since this compulsive scorer has scored more in the jersey of his national team, since a 1-0 victory against Morocco at the World Cup in Russia.
 
It was his 85th goal with Portugal, which allowed him to become the top scorer in the history of a European selection. To become the best in the world, the striker of the 156 caps still has a way to go behind the Iranian Ali Daei (109 goals) ...
 
An additional motivation for this bulimic of records and rewards, obsessed with the idea of ​​winning a sixth Ballon d'Or to double his great Argentine rival Lionel Messi.
 
Like FC Barcelona's La Liga striker, Ronaldo won "only" the Italian Championship in the spring. And for the first time since 2013, none of them have won the Champions League, usual step towards the Ballon d'Or.
                  
The Golden Ball in play
                  
It was Liverpool who won Saturday in Madrid (2-0 against Tottenham), which leaves the bets open: the jury of the Ballon d'Or will vote for one of the stars of the "Reds", like Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah, scorer in the final, or Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk, best player in the final?

Or can Messi and Ronaldo tilt the scales with their selection? While Ronaldo is playing the League of Nations, as Van Dijk with the Netherlands, Messi will play the Copa America with Argentina (June 14-July 7).
 
Van Dijk, also voted UK player of the year by his peers, has a clear opinion on the question: "Messi is the best player in the world and I think he deserves (this trophy) as long as he will continue to play, "he said on Saturday.
 
Enough to excite Ronaldo, who shone in his first season at Juventus despite the headwinds: tougher defenses in Italy than in Spain, an increasingly advanced age, and then extrasportive setbacks, such as accusations of rape that weigh against him in the United States.
 
The Portuguese are delighted to be able to count on their top scorer: "Cristiano is our leader and it's always better to have the best player in the world with us, it's a phenomenon," said Lille defender José Fonte.
 
And when Cristiano Ronaldo invests, it's rarely at a loss ...