Wolverhampton Wanderers star and Portugal's U-21 forward, Fabio Silva believes he is up to the challenge of stepping into Cristiano Ronaldo's shoes in the national team, given Ronaldo's advancing age. Silva also expressed his desire to share the field with Ronaldo before the legendary player retires from international football at 39.
Despite excelling for Portugal's U-21 squad, Silva has yet to earn his first cap for the senior national team. The 22-year-old has netted 12 goals and delivered 14 assists in 23 matches across various competitions for the U-21s. He remains hopeful of securing a call-up to the senior squad from Roberto Martinez soon.
The youngster was questioned about whether he could shoulder the responsibility of filling Cristiano Ronaldo's role in the national team.
“Yes, he is obviously old, but he is still a role model for me and I hope he continues to play many matches with the national team and that I will be called up to the first team before he leaves. Playing with him is a dream for me'', he told (via the Al Nassr zone on X).
Can you take the responsibility of replacing Cristiano in Portugal?Fabio Silva (Portugal U21 striker):“Yes, he is obviously old, but he is still a role model for me and I hope he continues to play many matches with the national team and that I will be called up to the first… pic.twitter.com/kgpMQokYGJ
— Al Nassr Zone (@TheNassrZone) October 8, 2024
Portugal's Spanish coach, Martinez decided against selecting Fabio Silva for Portugal's 26-man roster for the upcoming Nations League matches, choosing to rely on Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo Jota to spearhead the attack. Replacing Ronaldo would be an enormous challenge for Fabio Silva, as the veteran striker is the all-time leading scorer in international football. The Al-Nassr star has amassed 132 goals and 45 assists in 214 games, playing a pivotal role in helping Portugal secure two major titles.
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record as Real Madrid's highest-ever goalscorer, netting 450 goals in 438 games over his nine-year tenure with the club. During his three seasons at Juventus, he added 101 more goals in 134 appearances. Additionally, he scored 145 goals for Manchester United.
Since moving to Al-Nassr in December 2022, Ronaldo has found the net 65 times in 72 matches. Recently, he crossed the 900-goal mark in his career and now boasts a total of 904 goals across both club and international football.