Such is the level of his celebrity, Cristiano Ronaldo will always make headlines regardless of what he says.
So, when he does say something relatively controversial, it’s a major news story.
Indeed, the 41-year-old’s World Cup dream is over but he was keen to point out that the fact he won Euro 2016 with Portugal cannot be forgotten.
Can anyone stop France winning this World Cup? If so, who? 🤨
France made light work of a pretty toothless Morocco without really looking at their best…
In fact, Ronaldo claimed that the European Championships were on the “same level” as the World Cup when he spoke after Portugal were beaten by Spain in the last 16.
To say that such a comment raised eyebrows would be an understatement. While not to downplay the achievement of winning the Euros, continental competition has always played a secondary role to global tournaments on the international stage.
Still, Ronaldo isn’t forgetting that trophy.
Ronaldo celebrates ten-year anniversary of Euro 2016 win
Only days after making those comments, Ronaldo posted a collage of images from after the Euro 2016 final on Instagram to mark the ten-year anniversary.
He captioned the post: “Uma vitória de milhões!” That roughly translates to “A victory worth millions.”
Portugal beat France in the Euro 2016 final thanks to an extra-time winner from Eder, while Ronaldo had to be substituted 25 minutes into the game in Paris because of a knee injury.
That was the first major international trophy in Portugal’s history. They have since added two Nations League titles to their trophy haul, although quite how much stock one puts in that particular competition is up for debate.
It remains to be seen if Ronaldo plays for Portugal again. He provided a cryptic update on his future after the World Cup exit, suggesting he would talk to his family before making a decision.
Jorge Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr last season and won the Saudi Pro League title, has now replaced Roberto Martinez as Portugal coach.
Read more:
Cristiano Ronaldo reveals the most expensive purchase he ever made during his lucrative career
Cristiano Ronaldo fans force Bruno Fernandes to protect social media after Portugal’s World Cup exit
Portugal manager Jorge Jesus provides update on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future after World Cup exit
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