All eyes on Cristiano Ronaldo as John O'Shea looks to gain momentum in Portugal

John O'Shea is hoping for two things in tomorrow’s game against Portugal; that his side can build on the momentum of the Hungary win, and that Cristiano Ronaldo is rested.

The Ireland interim head coach faced the media on Monday on the eve of their final fixture of the season as they take on the Euros-bound Portuguese in Aveiro.

And unsurprisingly it was O’Shea’s former team-mate Ronaldo who dominated the conversation as he gets set to depart for Germany with the national squad.

Ronaldo famously bamboozled the Manchester United defence, including John O’Shea, in a pre-season fixture back in 2003, which led to Alex Ferguson signing the 18-year-old prospect.

The pair would spend six seasons together at United, where Ronaldo evolved into a world class footballer, moving to Real Madrid, winning the Champions League a further four times, while securing five Balon d’Or awards.

On top of that, Ronaldo has represented his country with distinction for two decades, earning over 200 caps and guiding Portugal to the European Championships in 2016.

"I do," said O’Shea, when asked if he recalled his first encounter with Ronaldo back in that Lisbon fixture.

"Slightly jet-lagged, but I do remember," added O’Shea, referring to the fact that the team had just returned from America ahead of the game.

But O’Shea added that it was abundantly clear that Ronaldo had everything it takes to become a world beater, and believes that the stint that he had at Manchester United was crucial in his development.

"Look, we were fully aware of his talent, obviously, that night in Lisbon.

"But the player that arrived into Old Trafford, into Carrington, I’ve mentioned before many times, his dedication in terms of improving his technique every week, every day…

"Look,