Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has once again etched his name in the history books of European football after breaking the record for the player with the most assists at the Euros.
Ronaldo’s unselfish play in Portugal’s 3-0 victory over Turkey on Saturday was pivotal to his team’s success. With the game at 2-0 in the 56th minute, Ronaldo found himself one-on-one with Turkey goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, but instead of trying to score himself, he opted to pass to his former Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes for an easy finish, taking his tally of Euro assists to seven.
The 39-year-old forward now becomes the all-time leader in assists at the European Championship, surpassing the previous record held by Czech Republic’s Karel Poborsky.
This achievement adds to Ronaldo’s already impressive European Championship resume. He is the all-time top scorer in the competition with 14 goals and is also the first player to feature in six consecutive Euros.
Remarkably, his first Euro assist came 20 years ago in a 2-0 win over Russia at EURO 2004.
The victory also saw Portugal record their joint-biggest win at a European Championship, matching previous 3-0 triumphs over Croatia (1996), Germany (2000), and Hungary (2021).
It is the first time the 2016 champions have won their opening two games at the Euros since 2008, and already qualify for the knockout stages secured.
Roberto Martinez’s Portugal will aim to maintain their 100% record in the group stage when they face Georgia on Wednesday, June 26th, at 10 pm, and Ronaldo will be determined to break more records as the competition goes on.
