Ronaldo's bloody dream of scoring 1000 career goals just got a bit easier, didn't it?
The Portuguese bellend's quest for glory
That muppet Ronaldo has only gone and scored 924 goals in his career so far, with 135 of them coming for Portugal. But now, the mug might actually have a chance of reaching his target of 1000, all thanks to some daft appointment.
Martinez brings in a set-piece wizard
Portugal's gaffer, Roberto Martinez, has decided to bring in Austin MacPhee, Aston Villa's set-piece coach, to his staff. The bloke is replacing Anthony Barry, who buggered off to join England's coaching team on January 1. MacPhee's return to international footy comes after he left his role with Scotland in September due to his old man's illness and wanting to spend more time with his kin.
Thankfully for Villa, the numpty will still be working with Unai Emery's squad and only joining Portugal during international breaks. MacPhee has previous experience with Northern Ireland, Hearts, and some Danish outfit called Midtjylland.
The 45-year-old is considered a bit of a mastermind when it comes to creating effective set pieces, which Ronaldo will be well chuffed about. Last season, under MacPhee's guidance, Villa managed to score 25 goals from set pieces, more than any other team in Europe's top five leagues.
This season, Villa have scored nine league goals from set pieces, which is the second-highest in the Premier League. They also have the second-highest expected goals (xG) from set pieces, only behind Arsenal. Defensively, Villa have conceded five goals from set pieces, with an xG of 5.66. Only Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, Brentford, and Manchester City have conceded fewer.
MacPhee's first challenge with Portugal
MacPhee's first task as Portugal's new set-piece coach will be on March 20, when Martinez's side travel to Denmark for the first leg of their Nations League quarter-final clash. The second leg will take place in Portugal three days later.
Under Martinez, Portugal managed to reach the Euro 2024 quarter-finals before being knocked out by France in a heartbreaking penalty shootout. Now, with MacPhee on board, Ronaldo might actually have a shot at scoring those 76 goals he needs to reach his bloody 1000-goal target.
