Cristiano Ronaldo is set to be caught in the middle of another Portugal selection dilemma — caused by the most sentimental storyline of Euro 2024's first week.
The coincidences surrounding the winning goal scored by Francisco Conceicao in the 92nd minute against Czechia, after Ronaldo had battled hard but missed a series of chances, were almost too good to be true.
Conceicao is the son of an outstanding and loyal servant of the Portugal national team. His father, Sergio, played for a series of elite European clubs and represented his country 56 times, with his finest hour coming in this very same tournament.
At Euro 2000, Sergio Conceicao clinched Group A for Portugal with a stunning hat-trick against Germany, a spectacular performance that was the decisive factor in a 3-0 win in the Dutch city of Rotterdam.
That effort took place almost 24 years earlier to the day — June 20, 2000 — before the younger Conceicao made his remarkable Euros entrance in only his fifth national team appearance. Francisco, who plays for Porto, was not even born when his dad tore the German defense apart.
"Francisco is the ultimate example of earning it," head coach Roberto Martinez told reporters. "He deserves to be here and showed he is ready to help the group.
"He is doing what he has been doing the past four months at (Porto). He showed character and showed his worth. He is a very mature player. He plays very direct. He has got a nose for danger. For (me) to have a player do what he did, that's very important."
For all the excitement caused by the 21-year-old's impact on Tuesday, being grabbed for a hug by Ronaldo himself at the final whistle, it is only going to add to the growing controversy hanging over the Portugal camp.
Ronaldo remains a key part of head coach Martinez's plans, and played the whole game at age 39 despite the coach making a series of substitutions in search of all three points after falling behind to the courageous Czechs.
Both within Portugal and elsewhere, there is a strong school of thought that is growing louder in its suggestions that Ronaldo's best way of assisting the team may be coming off the bench, rather than in a starting role.
Conceicao scoring 111 seconds after entering the field only adds weight to the theory that Martinez's crop of talented young players should be given full license to shine.
Already, the saga is starting to somewhat resemble the furor at the 2022 World Cup, where Ronaldo was benched for the team's round of 16 clash with South Korea by former coach Fernando Santos, and replacement Gonçalo Ramos scored three goals after being switched into the lineup.
Tactically, everything seemed centered around trying to create chances for Ronaldo on Tuesday, and that prospect did not appear to unduly faze Czechia.
Portugal was fortunate with its equalizer, and though Ronaldo did show his threat with a header that hit the post and rebound for Diogo Jota the score, the strike was ruled out because Ronaldo was adjudged to be offside.
For now, Martinez seems in no mood to switch up the formation that landed Portugal 10 wins from its 10 qualifying games, the best record of all the Euro 2024 teams.
Ronaldo's teammates also seem invested in their colleague's role as a talisman, even though general opinion dictates that the squad's best player is now midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
Ronaldo is still a huge attraction for fans, with Portugal's public training sessions in Germany packed with admirers. Clearly, he still has the ability to uplift.
"I would say he represents inspiration, he represents that anything is possible," Manchester City's Ruben Dias told reporters. "He represents all that you can dream, and achieve it.
"Mainly I would like to say it is a pleasure to have him with us. More than all these little things or big things, him being with us in this moment of his career represents that he wants to win again. He is our captain and obviously we follow him to the end."
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
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