Is Ronaldo making this his Euros?
Portugal captain is starting to dominate a tournament like few before him – not even Leo Messi, writes Jack Pitt-Brooke
Saturday 23 June 2012
Related articles
For eight years, European football had been waiting for this moment. Cristiano Ronaldo is starting to impose himself on a tournament, starting to replicate his remarkable club form for Portugal, and threatening to do what even Lionel Messi has not, and win a trophy for his country.
It should be no surprise that the greatest European footballer since Johan Cruyff is starting to bend a European Championship his way. But there is a difference, as Messi knows, between club and international football. Until last Sunday, it felt as if Ronaldo might never quite be as influential and successful for Portugal as he has been for his three clubs.
But something changed on that Sunday night in Kharkiv, and now Ronaldo is one game away from returning to the final that, as a tearful teenager, he lost to Greece in Lisbon. Portugal's progress to the semi-final, not very widely predicted before the tournament, owes everything to two of the best individual performances in the history of the competition.
First was the Netherlands, backed by many to emerge as champions. For all the talk about Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben, Ronaldo made it immediately clear who the most important player on the pitch was. With Portugal behind early on, he thumped a shot against the post before calmly equalising from Joao Pereira's perfect pass. Then, collecting Nani's cross, he embarrassed Gregory van der Wiel and put Portugal 2-1 ahead. He still found time to hit the post again, but the work was done: Portugal had been dragged alive out of the "Group of Death". It was described in Portugal as his best ever performance for the national team, at least until the next one.
Because after that came Thursday night's quarter-final against the Czech Republic. Ronaldo was just as good and just as important. The Czechs knew the source of the danger: Ronaldo could not touch the ball without being surrounded by two or three opponents. Often in these situations the marked man's team-mates take over and exploit the extra space. But not on Thursday. Even with three men trying to silence him, he was still the loudest voice on stage.
One thrilling piece of skill nearly gave Portugal the lead. Ronaldo chested down a pass with his back to goal, spun backwards past defenders and shot, agonisingly, against the base of the post. Another brilliant effort – this time a free-kick – hit the post in the second half. Just as against the Dutch, Ronaldo was undeniable: Joao Moutinho chipped in a cross from the right, and Ronaldo threw himself at the ball and headed it down, over Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech, and in.
Again, Ronaldo had dragged his team with him. Of course, the Portugal coach, Paulo Bento, was keen to remind that this was a team achievement. "All the players have tasks on the pitch," Bento said, "and Ronaldo played to our tactical system". Maybe so, but this was an individual achievement before it was anything else. Diego Maradona still needed a competent defence and midfield behind him in 1986, but no one could dispute that the glory was his before it was anyone else's.
The excitement grows out of the fear that we would never see Ronaldo play like this in a tournament. This is the first time he has reached three goals in a major finals, having scored one each at 2010, 2008 and 2006 – after two in 2004. This has come amid arguably the best sustained run of form in the history of the game. In the past six seasons, three each in Manchester and Madrid, Ronaldo has scored 237 goals in 299 games. A record that only Messi can surpass (244 in 295), but all the more impressive for being split between two different but difficult leagues.
Tournaments, though, with their knockout games, alien environments and thrown-together teams are harder to influence than the more meritocratic domestic leagues. Ronaldo finding a way to do it, making it his own as he has done in England and Spain, is the transfer we were all waiting to happen.
Now the prospect of a semi-final, maybe even against Spain. "We know it is going to be difficult, but we are ready, we are confident," said Ronaldo. "We are very mature, so we are ready for the fight."
With Ronaldo now in the business of point-proving, there is a sense that he might prefer Spain to beat France tonight. "People in Spain say he does not play well against the big teams," explained Portuguese journalist Goncalo Lopes. "Against Spain he will do the maximum to beat them. He wants to respond to the Barcelona players."
On Wednesday, should they meet, Cristiano Ronaldo will certainly want to remind Spain's Barça core that he has already beaten them to one title this summer. He will want to score past club mates Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas, also. He will want to take Portugal back to another European final, but win this time. He will want to show that he is currently the best player in the world, and quite right too, because he is.
Latest in Sport
Sport blogs
New day (slowly) rising – As Brasileirão gets underway, Brazilian football stumbles, rather than leaps into the future
The average Serie A crowd last year was 13,000 - comparable to Australia’s A-League.
by James Young
24 May 2013 04:31 PM
iBet: Mercedes and Hamilton to roar in Monaco
Monaco is a street circuit where driver ability is more important than anywhere else and if we take ...
by Gareth Purnell
24 May 2013 02:00 AM
On The Road at the Giro d’Italia: It sounds sadistic, but the team live for the mountain stages
Three weeks ago as I drove off the Eurostar, I remember thinking what a very long time it was until ...
by Martin Ayres
23 May 2013 05:29 PM
-
Christian Benteke tells Aston Villa not to stand in his way if a 'club like Arsenal' come calling
-
After racist remark, Sergio Garcia fights for reputation as Tiger Woods slams 'hurtful' fried chicken joke
-
Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich: 50 things you need to know about the Champions League final
-
Manuel Pellegrini must deliver five trophies in five years at Manchester City says chief executive Ferran Soriano
-
Major refinancing sees Manchester United slash interest bill by £10m a year
- 1 What, let gays get married? We must be bonkers
- 2 'Something passed underneath us, quite close': Airbus A320 has close encounter with UFO
- 3 Rocky Horror star Tim Curry 'suffers major stroke'
- 4 Lord of the Sings: Sir Christopher Lee, 91, to release heavy metal album
- 5 Exclusive: Woolwich killings suspect Michael Adebolajo was inspired by cleric banned from UK after urging followers to behead enemies of Islam
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Visit York
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Making reading fun for kids
Nook is donating eReaders to volunteers at high-need schools and participating in exclusive events throughout the campaign.
Introducing the 'Get Reading' campaign
Get the latest on The Evening Standard's campaign to get London's children reading.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
Day In a Page
The man who's eaten everywhere
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?
Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed
Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them




Comments