The Real Madrid forward was withdrawn early on in
Sunday's final because of a knee injury, but his role in
their victory was vital as the nation celebrate a first-
ever title.
Portugal rewrote their history as a footballing nation on Sunday
night. A Selecao had not beaten France since 1975 and had
never claimed an international trophy, so many Portuguese people
expected a similar story this time. But instead, they saw a
different ending.
By losing the Euro 2004 final at home to Greece, Portugal looked
to have blown their best opportunity of success in a major
tournament. Even with 2002 World Cup winning coach Luiz Felipe
Scolari in charge, the team was unable to win the trophy in Lisbon
and the tragedy of that loss was, in many ways, so typically
Portuguese.
Once one of the world's most powerful countries due to its great
explorers and discoveries at sea, Portugal built an empire but fell
into decadence as a nation and is struggling economically
nowadays ts culture is very much marked by elements of fatalism
and lament, nostalgia and loss.
Its traditional music, fado (which means fate), sums up this
trend. All about loves lost and reminiscing over an era of a great
Portugal, it looks back with tristesse to better times. The songs are
bathed in ruefulness and regret. And in bars and taverns across
the country, many Portuguese watch the shows and cry.
And prior to the Euro 2016 final, something similar had happened
with their football team. Despite the talent of a "golden
generation" including Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho
and a young Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004, it all ended in tears once
again at the Estadio Da Luz.
But eight years on, that has changed. On the day of the match
against France, Portuguese paper A Bola led with a front cover
which announced: "We will win". On the back page, meanwhile,
there was a cartoon in which a man told a barber how the team
had been playing poorly during Euro 2016. "Be quiet," he replied.
"The Portugal of fado has been asleep until now. We don't want
to wake them up."
On Monday, the Portuguese people will wake to positive news. This
time, their was no tragic outcome, no fatalistic finale. This time,
pessimism was replaced by optimism and Portugal prevailed - even
surviving the loss of their finest footballer early on. This time,
they are champions of Europe.
It is a significant shift in fortunes and Ronaldo has been at the
forefront. Although the Real Madrid forward limped off the
Stade de France pitch following a blow to the knee that left him in
tears and unable to continue despite twice trying to play on, his
part in the advancement of this team is important.
Brought up in humble surroundings on the island of Madeira,
Cristiano travelled to the mainland as an 11-year-old with a sign
around his neck to meet scouts from Sporting in Lisbon. And 20
years on from that, his ambition, commitment and dedication
have seen him win three Ballons d'Or, three Champions League
crowns and much more. As much as anyone else, he has shown his
compatriots that it can be done - and his team-mates even did it
without him.
Ronaldo was still there on the sidelines, barking instructions to his
team-mates, demanding more noise from the Portuguese
supporters and kicking every ball in the unorthodox role of
assistant coach alongside coach Fernando Santos. And right-back
Cedric Soares revealed afterwards he had given a rousing speech
to the players during the interval.
"At half-time, Cristiano had fantastic words for us," he
said. "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. And
we showed tonight when you fight as one you are much much
stronger.
"He was fantastic. His attitude was unbelievable. He always had a
lot of motivational words and all the team of course reacted to
them, so it was very good. He had fantastic words for each player
in each moment of the game."
One of those players was goalscorer Eder, whose superb strike to
win the match in extra time surprised many who had written him
off as one of the poorest forwards at Euro 2016. Afterwards, the
player himself said: "Ronaldo told me I would score the winning
goal for the team. He gave me this strength, this energy, and it
was vital."
For Ronaldo, only winning is enough. At his museum in Madeira
the 31-year-old proudly displays his Ballons d'Or, yet there is no
sign of the silver balls he has won for finishing second in the
annual individual award. Those mean very little to him.
But this will mean everything. "I'm so happy – very happy," he
said afterwards. "This was something I've wanted for a long time
now, ever since 2004. I asked God to give me another chance.
"This is one of the happiest moments in my career. The
Portuguese people deserve this; our players deserved this."
Many have been critical of Portugal's pragmatic play at Euro 2016
after Santos' side emerged from their group without a single win
and ended the competition with only one victory in the 90 minutes
(having beaten Croatia and France in extra time and Poland on
penalties).
But Santos created a bond and a spirit that few other teams in
this tournament could match. He also used every outfield player
at his disposal to get the most he possibly could out of his 23-man
squad. They all played a part.
And his substitutions were key as well. Ricardo Quaresma came on
to score the winner against Croatia, while it was Eder who emerged
as the hero against France with his impressive long-range strike.
Santos and Ronaldo briefly worked together at Sporting back in
2004 and 12 years on, they have helped their nation erase the
painful memories of losing to Greece in the final of the
continental competition that year. Now, they are champions of
Europe.
So no more fatalism, nostalgia, loss or lament; like
Ronaldo, the Portuguese people can cry with tears of joy this time
around.
Comments