Cristiano Ronaldo becomes true great with
Portugal win
Cristiano Ronaldo wept tears of despair
then tears of joy as the Euro 2016 final took him on an emotional journey from
his lowest low to the high of lifting Portugal's first major trophy.
The 31-year-old Real Madrid superstar
carried his country's hopes into the final against hosts France in Paris not
only as Portugal's captain but also the player who posed the greatest threat to
Didier Deschamps' side.
It
looked like all the aspirations of Ronaldo and Portugal would be shattered when
he was taken off on a stretcher after 25 minutes following two attempts to
battle through a knee injury sustained in a seventh-minute collision with
France's West Ham United midfielder DimitriPayet.
And
yet, as the long night at Stade de France ended with an ecstatic Ronaldo
lifting the Euro 2016 trophy, his earlier heartbreak will surely have been
erased.
He
may have only played 25 minutes - but such was the pure theatre of his presence
on and off the pitch that this was almost 'The Ronaldo Final'.
The agony
Ronaldo's
focus was obvious from the moment he walked out into the warm summer sunshine
at Stade de France late on Sunday evening.
He
closed his eyes as he sang the national anthem with feeling - although even his
normally smooth appearance was disrupted during his pre-match routine when he
had to bat away several of the moths that invaded the stadium.
He had made a quiet start when the incident
that changed his match took place in the 17th minute, Payet getting a touch on the
ball before crashing into Ronaldo, catching the Portuguese's left knee with his
right knee.
The
sight of Ronaldo rolling around while banging the turf did not receive instant
or unanimous sympathy given previous histrionics but it quickly became apparent
he had sustained a significant problem.
He
received lengthy treatment on the pitch and returned to the action, albeit
clearly in reduced circumstances. He made one run but not at any pace, waving a
hand in the direction of the bench to signal he was struggling.
He
came off and went back on again as this player of real physical courage
attempted to somehow get through the pain with his knee heavily strapped. It
was to no avail as eventually he dropped to the turf once more, one of the
thousands of moths swirling around the stadium landing on his face as he waited
for the stretcher.
Ronaldo's
exit was given a genuinely sympathetic round of applause by France's fans,
putting partisanship to one side to share in the disappointment of one of the
game's greats being carried away from the biggest international game of his
much-decorated career.
The leader
Ronaldo's
reputation is not that of a selfless personality who puts team before himself -
indeed he has often been accused of selfishness and petulance in dealing with
his Portugal team-mates.
Euro
2016 has seen him gesturing tetchily at colleagues who have not lived up to his
own high standards, but here he took on the role of inspirational leader when
it was required.
Ronaldo's stature and influence, even when
out of the action, came into play at the end of 90 minutes.
Footage
has emerged of him encouraging a reluctant Joao Moutinho to take a penalty in
the quarter-final shootout win against Poland, and here he played the role of
inspiration at a crucial time.
Ronaldo
marched purposefully out of the tunnel and out on to the pitch, walking among
Portugal's players urging them to one last effort, one that would end with the
greatest moment in their country's football history.
The manager?
In
remarkable scenes in extra time, Ronaldo appeared to virtually assume the role
of Portugal coach.
Ronaldo,
it seemed, ordered Raphael Guerreiro on to free-kick duties, a move that almost
brought a goal as he rattled the woodwork. Portugal's disappointment was short-lived
as Eder struck a fine winner seconds later, in the 109th minute.
It
was then the Ronaldo show really got into its stride.
As
the seconds ticked away and Portugal's great moment came within sight amid
unbearable tension for their supporters banked in a corner of the stadium,
Ronaldo appeared to appoint himself as, at least, joint manager.
He
was offering just as many tactical instructions as Fernando Santos, taking up
position alongside him in the technical area and beyond. It came mighty close to
undermining the coach's authority but by this stage anyone of a Portuguese
persuasion was past caring.
Ronaldo,
limping heavily, then indulged in some celebratory bumping into the stone-faced
Santos, who was unmoved as he counted down the seconds to the result that
guarantees him sporting immortality in Portugal.
While
Ronaldo will inevitably claim the headlines and much of the glory, 61-year-old
Santos' contribution must not be under-estimated.
He
produced an organised, disciplined side of great resilience and spirit. It
would have been easy for Portugal to feel sorry for themselves after Ronaldo's
injury, fearing the fates were against them once more, but not a bit of it.
If
anything, they grew once he went off and were duly rewarded. Santos' side may
be unspectacular, but he has given them real backbone and deserves huge credit.
The ecstasy
Having
broken down twice as he tried to shake off the injury and when he realised his
efforts were in vain, Ronaldo shed tears for a third time when referee Mark
Clattenburg blew the final whistle to signify Portugal were European champions.
His
journey up the steps should have been painful given his injury but he looked as
though he was floating on air as he lifted the trophy amid jubilant scenes and
pyrotechnics.
He
was then front and centre of the team photos, lying on the floor posing for
pictures before leading the Portugal contingent over to celebrate with their
fans, giving the impression the silver trophy might have to be surgically
removed from his grasp.
Ronaldo
has experienced the full range of sport's emotions in his wonderful career -
here he experienced them all in one night.
The inspiration
Ronaldo
had a mixed start to Euro 2016, drawing condemnation for criticising Iceland's
attitude in their opening 1-1 draw after refusing to exchange shirts with
captainAronGunnarsson at the final whistle.
Iceland
bore no grudges and their football association's official Twitter feed not only
offered congratulations to Portugal on their triumph but another account
@icelandfootball tweeted when he went off injured: "It doesn't matter what
Ronaldo said about Iceland. This is absolutely heartbreaking. We feel so sorry
for him. Devastating for this legend"
Ronaldo
missed a penalty in the goalless draw with Austria but then kicked into gear.
He
scored two brilliant goals in the 3-3 draw with Hungary, helped created Ricardo
Quaresma's winner late into extra time in the last-16 win against Croatia,
scored in the penalty shootout victory against Poland in the quarter-final then
broke the deadlock with a towering header in the 2-0 triumph against Wales that
put Portugal in the final.
He
is the player Portugal looks to and he has led from the front - even when only
watching from the sidelines in Paris.
The true great
Ronaldo
can now be ranked with the true greats of the game. He has finally added
success in the international arena, with a Euro 2016 win to add to his
accolades and honours with Manchester United and Real Madrid.
He
has won the Champions League once with Manchester United and twice with Real
Madrid and victory in Paris closes a big gap in his achievements and enables
him to eclipse, in one context at least, his great rival in La Liga at
Barcelona, Lionel Messi.
Messi,
who has also won the Champions League three times with Barcelona, has struggled
to repeat his club successes with Argentina and the 29-year-old recently
announced his retirement from international football after a failed Copa
America campaign.
Ronaldo might have pondered his own
Portugal future and remained similarly unfulfilled had France won Euro 2016 -
now he has remedied that on a night of drama on and off the pitch.
No comments:
Post a Comment