Cristiano Ronaldo Made A Strange And Personal Request Before Portugal vs North Macedonia
Cristiano Ronaldo made a strange request regarding Portugal's national anthem ahead of this evening's World Cup play-off final with North Macedonia.
The Manchester United superstar is hoping to lead his side to victory on Tuesday evening and reach this winter's tournament in Qatar.
It's likely to be Ronaldo's last opportunity as a player and the 37-year-old is desperate to make it.
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Portugal captain Ronaldo has personally asked for those inside the Estadio do Dragao to sing the national anthem without music.
Instead, Ronaldo wants his fellow countrymen and women to sing it a cappella.
He explained in a pre-match press conference: "I would like it if the anthem was sung in the stadium without any music. This will show our determination and spirit. If they sing it like they did on Thursday (against Turkey) then I am sure we will win."
The venue of last season's Champions League final, the Estadio do Dragao can seat up to 50,000 people.
Portugal defeated Turkey 3-1 in their play-off semi-final thanks to goals from Otavio, Diogo Jota and Thiago Nunes.
Many assumed it'd help set up a massive tie with reigning European champions Italy, but North Macedonia spoiled the party.
Aleksandar Trajkovski's dramatic winner in added time ensured Italy would be missing their second consecutive World Cup.
Despite being 67th ranked in the world, Igor Angelovski's side have proven they're no pushovers and Ronaldo sent a warning his teammates.
He continued: "The team is very confident and we are excited for the final. This is the game of our lives, just as with North Macedonia. The pressure is always there for us and we know it will be very difficult.
"North Macedonia are in this game because they deserve to be. They are really well organised and we will respect them, but if we play at our level then we can beat any side in the world."
Prior to this, North Macedonia have only played at one major tournament, last summer's European Championship.
According to the Daily Mirror, prime minister Dimitar Kovacevski will pay every North Macedonia player £421,000 should they beat Portugal and qualify for the World Cup.
That's certainly a major incentive, as if making history alone wasn't enough.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
Daniel Marland