02 June 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo keen to ensure Portugal maintain the winning feeling

02 June 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo has set his sights on winning back-to-back European Championships with Portugal this summer.

Ronaldo was memorably in tears after his side beat France 1-0 in the Euro 2016 final after limping off in the 25th minute.

Fernando Santos’ side are among the favourites to retain their crown five years on, with a squad crammed with quality, and are hoping to join Spain in being the only other country to win successive European Championships.

Ronaldo says Portugal's Euro 2016 win was his most important trophy, despite coming off injured in the first half of the final (PA Archive)

“I have spoken before about what an important moment that European Football Championship win was for the Portuguese team, and for the country,” Ronaldo, Official Global Brand Ambassador for LiveScore, said.

“We were so proud to be able to bring the trophy home. It was very emotional.

“To win it again would be incredible, and of course we go to the tournament with that as our ambition, we have a good team but also we know there are a lot of very strong teams there.”

That evening in Paris was bittersweet for Ronaldo after he suffered a match-ending injury in the first half.

The 36-year-old usually thrives on being the main man, but even though he has led his clubs to many of the top trophies over the last 15 years, he ranks winning Euro 2016 as his most enjoyable piece of silverware.

“Well, the start of the European Football Championship 2016 was going well for me but then I was sad because I got injured [in the final against France].

“By the end of the match I was crying with happiness. I experienced three types of feelings and emotions in that game, but at the end of the day it was unbelievable what I felt. It is probably the most important trophy that I’ve won in my life.”

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