Football is a funny game, isn't it? Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo lifts a major trophy with his country Portugal and immediately Lionel Messi's name is brought up. And the strangest (yet most obvious thing) is that the two weren't even playing in the same tournament! But comparisons between the two are what we've become accustomed to and, while it can become tiresome at times, we all love trying to distinguish what could possibly separate the two marvels after they've both retired one day. And Ronaldo's 2016 European Championship win might just be that deciding factor…
However, despite the emphatic Portuguese celebrations at the Stade de France on July 10, it wasn't all fun and games for A Selecao, who were probably the most underwhelming champions in the history of the competition. And that isn't just me being harsh, right? Ronaldo was far from his best and Portugal won just one match at the tournament inside of 90 minutes! But, of course, an analysis of how they performed throughout means very little as their names are engraved on the trophy and, while I was personally hoping France would be crowned winners in front of their own fans, Portugal's excellent defending and group determination has to be admired. Also, Ronaldo displayed magnificent leadership skills…
Portugal beat Poland on penalties in the quarter-finals in Marseille and a video emerged after the win that gave me goosebumps! The clip showed midfielder Joao Moutinho hiding near the Portuguese dugout while his team were deciding who would be stepping up to take the important penalty kicks. Of course, Moutinho was a ball of nerves and had no intention of being one of the first five to take a spot-kick, but Ronaldo had other ideas. The clip showed the Los Blancos man going to pick his teammate out of the crowd, which obviously gave Moutinho the confidence to take responsibility from the spot. Ronaldo shouted, "Hey! Hey! Come kick, come kick. Come. You hit them well! If we lose, then f*** it! Be strong! Come on! Be strong! You hit them well! Come on! It's in God's hands now." And Moutinho buried his kick…
Ronaldo was also brilliant in Portugal's final against host nation France, despite only playing just 25 minutes after a Dimitri Payet tackle ended his game early, reducing him and Portuguese fans to tears as he was stretchered off the field. However, in what might have been the biggest test of his character, the injured Ronaldo showed a completely different side of himself (or at least from what we've seen watching from our TV screens at home). You know, many critics think he only cares about himself…
After the win, Portugal's right back Cedric revealed that Ronaldo gave his team an inspirational talk during the break saying, "(At) half-time, Cristiano had fantastic words for us. He gave us a lot of confidence and said, 'Listen, people, I'm sure we will win, so stay together and fight for it.' It was really unbelievable. I think all the team had a fantastic attitude." Again, we perhaps don't see this side of Ronaldo too often…
The Portuguese skipper was ever present on the sidelines during the second half of the final, as he shouted instructions and inspired his teammates with his positive attitude. Maybe it would have rubbed off on his colleagues if he had looked disheartened, but Ronaldo, being the leader he is (and perhaps the leader we didn't know he was) showed no signs of weakness on the touchlines. Eder scored the winner for his country in the second-half of added time, and it turns out that Ronaldo also had a role in that, as Eder told the media, "It was Cristiano who told me I'd score the game-winning goal. That force… that positive energy… is what happened with me, Cristiano and all my teammates. He gave me strength and positive energy. And that goal was really important."
Of course, as Portugal and Ronaldo celebrated their triumph, it was the opposite for Messi and Argentina at the Copa America last month. The FC Barcelona superstar announced his retirement from international football following their loss to Chile in the final of the South American tournament, with Messi's 'haters' making their opinions well-known across all social media platforms. After saying he wouldn't be playing for his country again, fans immediately brought Ronaldo's name into the equation, saying he would never walk away from his people. And now that the Portuguese has claimed his first piece of silverware on the international stage, many believe that he is in a class above Messi. But I'm not buying it…
I feel that despite the Catalan club forward having not won any trophies with Argentina in four finals, he is still a phenomenon and will be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play football, while Ronaldo, with his international trophy, will be remembered in exactly the same light. Ronaldo's success shouldn't be determined by Messi's failures, and vice versa! Let's appreciate these two sensations while they're still at the top of their games, because once they hang up their boots, football will never be the same.
Cheers
Kurt Buckerfield
