The striker hails Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world and targets a place in the knock-out round of Euro 2012.
The former Werder Bremen man, who now plies his trade in Turkey with Besiktas, has replied to some of the claims made by his Saturday’s opponents. German forward, Lukas Podolski, was quoted to have said in an interview that his
side will not face any problems stopping the Real Madrid talisman.
Ronaldo scored a total of 60 goals in 55 appearances for his club last season, pipping Barcelona to the La Liga title. Almeida believes the striker deserves the attention he gets and should be acknowledged as the best player in
the world.
"Ronaldo? For me, he is the best player in the world, and it is normal for him to get the attention he does,” he is quoted as saying in an interview.
Ahead of the game against Germany, the 28-year old hailed his teammate, and believes that the former Manchester United man is capable of terrorising defences on his own. However, he also preached caution, claiming that an individual
player cannot run the whole team; he needs support from the rest of the team.
"However, in football one does not win alone. He needs a good supporting team around him, so he can be at his best,” he added.
The Portuguese centre forward took time to praise his side’s opponents on Saturday. Almeida hailed the blend of youth and experience that the German side possess, and tipped them to go a long way in the Euro 2012.
The striker also reflected on the ‘Group of death’, a group which consists of teams which are capable of topping the group. He is also confident that if his side play positively, and without any fear they will surely come out on
top on Saturday.
"We are in a very difficult group and all the teams in it can finish at the top, however, we must try to play our game and I hope we will come out with a positive result on Saturday," he further added.
The performance of Paulo Bento’s men depends largely on which Cristiano Ronaldo turns up, the Real Madrid man is capable of coming up with great performances, but in recent times he has shown that he is only a human. The forward
has gone missing in many big games for club and country.
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