Silva: Portugal can count on Ronaldo in Qatar

Star is leading scorer in international football

Cristiano Ronaldo retains the support of his Portugal teammates despite his recent problems, midfielder Bernardo Silva said as the side prepare for their eighth World Cup tournament in Qatar.

“The reality is when you’ve got a player like Cristiano, it’s natural that sometimes you play for him because he can win you the game in the final minutes,” Silva told the Fifa website.

Ronaldo is the leading scorer in the history of men’s international football, with 117 goals in 191 games, but his goal-scoring form has dipped lately.