John O’Shea: ‘Ronaldo could be Portugal manager in the future’

John O’Shea affirms Cristiano Ronaldo will have a significant impact at Euro 2024 and could even shape the future of Portuguese football.

John O’Shea first encountered Cristiano Ronaldo in August 2003 during a friendly match between Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon, where Ronaldo impressed with his skills, leaving O’Shea struggling throughout the game.

Rio Ferdinand jokingly remarked that O’Shea needed oxygen in the first half, while Roy Keane noted the 18-year-old Ronaldo made the Irish defender dizzy.

Just a few days after that impressive match, Sir Alex Ferguson officially signed Cristiano Ronaldo. Thus began O’Shea and Ronaldo’s journey together at Manchester United, winning numerous prestigious titles over six seasons at Old Trafford.

Nearly 21 years later, they will face each other once again, but this time John O’Shea, with 118 appearances for the Irish national team, will observe from the sidelines. O’Shea is currently serving as interim manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, while Ronaldo, now 39 years old and captain of the Portuguese national team, continues his quest for glory at Euro once more.

In the final friendly before the tournament in Germany, Portugal will face Ireland. In a pre-match interview, John O’Shea jovially mentioned Ronaldo: “Luckily, I won’t be playing tomorrow. Hopefully, Ronaldo will rest, maybe he needs another week to be ready for Euro.”

“You see, in Saudi Arabia, he scored many crucial goals and also contributed to Portugal qualifying for Euro.”

“I’m sure Portugal will have a plan to maximize his abilities at the tournament because Ronaldo will certainly play a crucial role.”

“I know Cristiano’s professionalism and dedication, I believe he has a plan to continue playing for Portugal and achieving even more,” O’Shea said when asked if this would be the last time he faces Ronaldo on the field.

“I’m sure he has ambitions, further on, to lead his country in the upcoming tournaments – if he wants to take on those responsibilities, he won’t have any problem dealing with those pressures. His next steps, I’m sure, will have a positive impact on Portugal.”

O’Shea reiterated their first meeting in 2003 and praised CR7’s daily training efforts to improve his skills, preparing for the Premier League when he moved to Man Utd.

“Ronaldo also has good advisors in the Portugal national team to help him learn more. We soon realized he was a special player.”

O’Shea also cautioned Irish players to be wary of Ronaldo: “Defenders must connect well with each other, prevent Ronaldo from heading or moving. He may adapt his game through experience. Facing Cristiano Ronaldo will be a challenging test, but it’s a match players want to have to test themselves against stars, and Portugal will be one of the strongest teams in this Euro.”