What does it take for Cristiano Ronaldo to be Cristiano Ronaldo? Immense hardwork, perfecting the skills are just some traits, but what makes him special is his ability to remain calm in pressure situations.
Tale of two emotions
Prior to Portugal’s first penalty in the shootout, Cristiano Ronaldo‘s heart rate was at its lowest during their Euro 2024 last-16 matchup with Slovenia, according to newly released data. Thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Diogo Costa, Portugal won via penalty shootout and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Cristiano Ronaldo makes amends
As he took the field to attempt Portugal’s first penalty in the shootout, the 39-year-old had the opportunity to make amends. And he did so in style, converting the spot kick and folding his hands to apologise for missing the earlier penalty.
Heart-rate tells a different story
Nevertheless, WHOOP’s data indicates that he was not deterred by the pressure, as his heart rate was at its lowest point of the night before taking the penalty in the shootout—roughly 100 bpm.
Latest News
Additionally, the data indicated that just as Bernardo Silva was about to take the penalty that would ultimately win the game for Martinez’s team, his heart rate suddenly spiked to over 170 bpm.
Ronaldo had on the WHOOP 4.0 strap underneath some wrist strapping, as he usually does during games. That is where the data came from.
