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Different circumstances bring Don and the former Italian captain back together
It’s been 18 years since the clash that brought Cristiano Ronaldo and Fabio Cannavaro together at Euro 2008, when the Italian led his country to a 3-1 friendly win over Portugal in their Euros build-up at the time, but fate has brought the two men back to meet again at the 2026 World Cup, this time under different circumstances.
CBS Sport shed light on the match from this angle and said Ronaldo was able to “get revenge” on Cannavaro today with a clean sheet and a brace for Don.
The aforementioned 2008 match was the last game between the two stars on the pitch, as Cannavaro retired from international football later in July 2011 after captaining the Azzurri to the 2006 World Cup title.
In 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal to a 3-1 defeat against Italy, led by Fabio Cannavaro 🇵🇹🇮🇹
Until 2026, Fabio Cannavaro’s Uzbekistan lost 5-0 and Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace 2️⃣
Revenge 💀 pic.twitter.com/Ianz1o5gew
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 23, 2026
Ronaldo was able to quickly respond to his critics and those who doubted his abilities, given that he played in his 6th career final at the age of 41 and scored twice to become… Portugal’s all-time leading scorerafter surpassing the legend Eusebio.
Portugal (4 points) are preparing for an open battle for top spot in Group 11 when they face Colombia (3 points) in the last round of the first round, with James Rodriguez’s team facing the Democratic Republic of Congo in the same round on Wednesday.
