Cristiano Ronaldo advances to the quarterfinals of the European Championship 18 years after his groundbreaking 2006 tournament appearance.

Cristiano Ronaldo advances to the quarterfinals of the European Championship 18 years after his groundbreaking 2006 tournament appearance.

For Cristiano Ronaldo, the UEFA Euro Quarter in Marienfeld is a reminiscent trip down memory lane. Seventeen years prior, Ronaldo and the Portuguese squad also competed in the Euro Quarters in Germany. Their training grounds? The Heidewaldstadion in Gütersloh, just like now.

As midfielder Vitinha shares, Cristiano and Ricardo (Carvalho, goalkeeper coach) have recounted their past experiences. Back then, Vitinha was a mere six-year-old and barely remembers anything.

Once more, it's Ronaldo in the spotlight. "The same place, but 18 years later," reads the Instagram post of the Portuguese national team, featuring snaps of Ronaldo training back in 2006 compared to now. What took him to the semi-finals at the Euro back then? France was his unfortunate demise. In the match for third place, Germany prevailed over Portugal. This time around, the Portuguese will kick off their Euro campaign against the Czech Republic in Leipzig on Tuesday.

EURO Group Stage Overview:

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1. Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region has been selected as one of the host cities for Portugal's matches in this year's European Championship (EM), bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to the same region where he trained 18 years ago during the 2006 tournament in Germany.
2. After advancing to the quarterfinals, Portugal will face the Czech Republic in a Group Stage match taking place in Leipzig, which is located in the eastern part of Germany.
3. As part of his preparations for this year's EM, Cristiano Ronaldo visited Marienfeld, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, where he recalled his training sessions with the Portuguese soccer team during their 2006 Euro Quarters campaign, which took place at the Heidewaldstadion in Gütersloh, another city in the same region.
4. Croatia, who had an impressive showing at the 2018 World Cup, will face Ronaldo and Portugal in Marienfeld, bringing back memories of their meeting 18 years ago during the group stage of the 2006 European Championship, which took place in Germany.

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