Why does Cristiano Ronaldo stand sideways during Portugal's national anthem? Al Nassr star makes patriotic gesture

06/18/2024 05:59 AM

Cristiano Ronaldo will be aiming to lift the European Championship for the second time as he leads Portugal in Germany this summer. 

The showpiece event could be the footballing icon's last major international tournament at 39-years-old.

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Portugal captain Ronaldo, a Euro winner in 2016, will be leading by example as he leads his team out for each game at Euro 2024.

But, fans will notice that the forward has a different stance from the rest of his team when singing the Portuguese anthem. Here’s why…

Why does Ronaldo stand sideways during Portugal’s national anthem?

In the usual tradition before every international game kicks off, both squads stand together as the national anthems are played. 

Although when Portugal plays, many have noticed that Ronaldo is standing sideways in the line-up of players.

As the team put their arms around each other, the captain turns to the side and stands at an angle to sing.

He does this so he can face the Portugal flag in the stadium as a patriotic gesture during the anthem.

Ronaldo has made this a tradition of his over the years as he shows respect to his country ahead of games.

Despite being in the twilight of his career, Ronaldo comes into the tournament after a record-breaking 35-goals in Saudi Arabia.

While Euro 2024 may be the last time we see his signature pose on the international stage, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez has been keen to highlight why the veteran remains so important.

He said: “As for Cristiano Ronaldo, I think it’s better to talk about statistics.

“A player who scores 42 goals in 41 games for his club shows continuity, a physical ability to always be fit and quality in front of goal that we really like and need.

“We don’t make choices based on where the players play. We want to create the best team and call the 26 players who make up the best team.

“We monitor the players’ individual performance and role that they have in the locker room. There are players who have secondary roles in important locker rooms and others who have important roles in less strong locker rooms.

“Since March 2023 until now, we have a lot of information.”