• Leonardo Jardim

Monaco, with a strong Portuguese contribution, are flying high in France.

Under former Braga, Olympiakos and Sporting coach Leonardo Jardim, the club from the principality are standing top of Ligue 1 at the time of writing and have booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League as Group E winners with a match to spare.

Jardim's success is shared with two compatriots, the highly talented Bernardo Silva and fellow Portuguese international João Moutinho, while former FC Porto icon Radamel Falcao has found a new lease of life after years of injury problems.

PortuGOAL spoke to French sports journalist Nicolas Basse, the Onefootball France coordinator and also the founder of the blog Serie A Mon Amour, who tells us how Jardim has overcome instability and prejudice to earn the respect of the French media.

Cristiano Ronaldo yesterday signed an extended contract with Real Madrid which keeps him at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2021.

The Portugal captain will be 36 years old when the contract finishes, but judging by his comments in the ceremony in the Spanish capital yesterday, his insatiable appetite for games and goals will keep him playing for even longer.

“I’ve renewed my contract for another five years, but let me make it clear that this will not be my last contract with Real Madrid. I want to play until I’m 41,” he said.

Cristiano Ronaldo has long been hailed as one of the best and most popular football players in the world, but recent criticisms have been levelled at his relatively slim pickings in terms of form and low scoring levels.

Experts and commentators have observed the star’s sub-par performance on several different occasions, and it seems that Real Madrid might have noticed as well.

A good example of this is the fact that Ronaldo was subbed at Las Palmas recently. He left the field looking furious although it was clear that a less than stellar performance was behind his substitution in the 72nd minute.

It should be noted that Ronaldo is not playing badly, and as some insiders have commented, any other player performing as he is now would be considered to be doing well.

Having been part of the Portuguese squad that upset the football odds over the summer to win their first European Championship in France, and following such success by completing a dream move to Barcelona, life for André Gomes probably can’t get much better at the moment.

Gomes was named in Fernando Santos’ squad for upcoming fixtures with Andorra and the Faroe Islands, and having featured heavily for Barça over recent weeks following a slow start to life in the Catalan city, the cultured midfielder is certainly demonstrating the potential which led to him to switch La Liga clubs from Valencia. 

Interestingly, his big move may lead to a change in position, at least at club level, with Gomes being pushed further back in the pitch, with satisfactory results.