Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the Greatest ever after Euro 2016 glory

Often enough, we’ve seen outrageously talented players not being able to live up to their billing. When Theo Walcott was 16, he was touted to be the next Wayne Rooney. Rahim Sterling won man-of-the-match on his first start for Liverpool against Manchester City. Similarly, Adnan Januzaj and Macheda couldn’t have hoped for a better club to kick-start their careers. In hindsight, clearly all of these players have failed to make the most of their potential and opportunity. It’s no secret that many such future prospects fade into mediocrity, before disappearing completely.

In 2003, Manchester United managed to acquire Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature after the skinny wonder-kid took United’s defence to the cleaners in a pre-match friendly. Ever since, there hasn’t been a season where Ronaldo has not outdone his previous self. When he arrived at Old Trafford, he played like he wanted to create the world record for step-overs and could put on an incredible skill-show. However, that was all there was to his game.

But if there’s one player who’s known how to make the most of his chances, it’s Ronaldo. His rise in the last 12 years has been truly remarkable. Ronaldo would be the perfect ambassador for a brand named after any of the three D’s (Discipline, dedication and determination). The boy from Madeira has gone from a winger with flair to a forward with every possible attribute. You name it. Whether it’s defying the laws of gravity by hanging in the air for an astonishing amount of time, or covering 100 metres in 10 seconds, Ronaldo can do it all. He is an acme of power. The supreme athlete.

A month ago, Ronaldo had won everything there is to win in football, except for a major trophy with his nation. He’d played six major tournaments for Portugal before the start of Euro 2016, three world cups and three European Championships. Portugal came close on three occasions, but couldn’t go all the way. Even after the astounding success he’s enjoyed in his career, Ronaldo has always maintained that not winning a trophy with his country would be a blip on his CV.

Portugal came into Euro 2016 on the back of a good run of form under Fernando Santos. But with the likes of Spain, Germany and Belgium around, nobody gave Portugal a chance. They drew their first two group games, both poor displays. In the final group game, Portugal went behind and looked to be heading out of the tournament. But Ronaldo had other ideas. He earned one assist and two goals as Portugal came from behind thrice, and went through as one of the better third-placed teams. Another assist against Croatia in a 1–0 win, and an assist and a goal in the semi-final saw Ronaldo carry his nation to the final.

He was one step away from his dream. One step away, some would argue, from becoming the greatest player of all time (since Messi hasn’t won a major tournament with Argentina).

But it seemed like his dream was slipping away when Dimitri Payet’s knee crashed into his. He was inconsolable as he hit the deck and signalled to the bench in despair. He knew his night (as a player) had ended, and perhaps, his dream too.

But on an occasion where players have the chance of embedding their name in the history books, we did have a match-winner. The most unlikely of heroes — Eder! The 29-year old scored an absolute screamer in the 109th minute to win it for his team, and Ronaldo’s dream had come true. Make no mistake, his night as player might have ended early in the first half, but that didn’t stop him from inspiring his team to success from the side-lines. We witnessed two entirely opposite emotions from Ronaldo in the span of 120 minutes. Despair and delight in equal measure, and thankfully, in the same order. Cristiano Ronaldo was ecstatic. And why wouldn’t he be? He’d done what Figo and Eusebio couldn’t do. But more importantly, he’d achieved a feat that Lionel Messi hadn’t just failed to achieve, but had given up trying.

This could possibly serve as the differentiating factor between Ronaldo and Messi. Their careers in terms of statistics might look similar, but the one indelible mark on Messi’s CV would be to never have won a major trophy with Argentina.

Also, Messi plays his football in a club where he is adored, and it makes life a hell lot simpler if you’ve been playing with the same blokes for over 10 years. This is not to belittle his achievements. It was never easy, but it was simple. He has always been in his comfort zone at Barcelona. And when the going got tough while representing his nation, guess what? HE QUIT. He threw in the towel at 29.

Now analyse Ronaldo’s career. He joined Real Madrid when Barcelona were literally unstoppable. Even though he was the darling of Old Trafford, he chose to leap into uncertainty. Real Madrid were in the process of building a team while Barcelona were running riot anywhere they played. Los Blancos went trophy-less in Ronaldo’s first season at the Bernabeu, won the Copa del rey in his second, la Liga in the third and Champions league in the fourth. For five consecutive seasons, he’s scored 50 or more goals, the first player ever to do so. Yet, he’s been booed by the Real Madrid faithful. Why? Because he’s self-centred, pompous and arrogant. It’s disgraceful to see people who fail to appreciate him for the player that he is.

The fact is, it’s always been easier to be Messi than to be Ronaldo and yet if you look at their careers, there isn’t much to choose between them. Or at least there wasn’t, forty-eight hours ago. But with a European Championship glory to Ronaldo’s name, he might just have edged Messi and become the greatest player to have graced the beautiful game.