FIFA World Cup 2022: ‘He’ll Goa the distance’

India are not a participant at this World Cup but there are quite a few Indians who feel that Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo is one of their ownMembers of Goan Social Workers Qatar GSWQ a group formed by Goan residents working in this Gulf state are convinced that ldquoaamcho munees our man in Konkanirdquo will help Portugal go all the way at the quadrennial showpiece Goa a former Portuguese colony still has many inhabitants who speak the language and follow their customs and traditions which is where their loyalty to the European nation stems fromCristiano Ronaldo at a training session on Sunday PicGetty ImagesSwiss a gritty teamIn their Roundof16 clash at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday Portugal face a gritty Switzerland for whom forward Xherdan Shaqiri and midfielder Granit Xhaka have been impact players so far On the other hand Ronaldo 37 hasnrsquot been in the best of form scoring just once in three matches and that too off a penalty against Ghana But thatrsquos no deterrent for his diehard Goan supporters ldquoRonaldo has started slowly but he will pick up as the tournament progresses I believe he will score against Switzerland in the prequarterfinals And from there on he will explode and Portugal will go all the way to the finalrdquo says GSWQ committee member Carol Gonsalves 45 who has been a school teacher in Doha for the last 11 years and hails from MargaolsquoAge just a number for himrsquoAnother GSWQ member Pearl Almeida is unhappy however with the criticism the Portuguese super star has copped for his age ldquoLooking at his physical fitness there is no doubt that age is just a number for him In fact with age comes experience and thatrsquos exactly what a player needs in such a highpressure tournament Ronaldo is the only player to have scored in five consecutive World Cups That record itself speaks volumes of what he has achieved And as this could be his last World Cup Irsquom sure he will go all out in the remaining matchesrdquo says Almeida 37 who is employed with the stateowned Qatar Energy for the last eight years but originally hails from Mapusa in GoaSheryl Vaz 31 a music teacher at Fr Agnelrsquos High School in Panjim who is here especially to watch Ronaldo says it was a dreamcometrue moment for her seeing him in the flesh during one of the league matches earlier ldquoRonaldo is like a God to many of us ardent football lovers Besides his skill and speed his humility has stood out for me The way he keeps hugging and wishing his teammates shows hersquos a genuinely humble person and humble people always succeed Irsquom sure he can win this World Cuprdquo she saysAlso readFIFA World Cup 2022 Cristiano Ronaldo in spat with opposing player during defeat to South KoreaThe GSWQ have helped provide affordable accommodation and other facilities to a number of Goan residents travelling here for the World Cup Convenor John Desa explains that football is only small part of the real ethos behind GSWQ which is to help anyone and everyone who is in distress in this foreign country ldquoPortugal is our team and we Goans will always support it But GSWQ supports a lot of other causes too Throughout COVID19 we helped with medical assistance for many Indian patients During accidental deaths our members provide financial help to families of Indian victims Some of us also visit jails here to counsel Indians and try to help secure their releaserdquo Desa concluded with a loud ldquoViva Ronaldo Viva Goardquo