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Ronaldo hungry for Euro success ahead of Iceland matchup

By on June 11, 2016

Cristiano Ronaldo has suffered numerous international heartbreaks with Portugal in the past. Will Euro 2016 be any different for A Selecção?

For all of Cristiano Ronaldo’s glorious triumphs, and there are plenty, his lack of international trophies stands out as perhaps his biggest regret. Some argue that in order to establish himself above Lionel Messi and football’s past greats, Ronaldo needs to lead Portugal to success, and Euro 2016 may be his best opportunity to avenge previous international let-downs.

Since breaking onto the international scene at Euro 2004, Ronaldo has carried the hopes for Portugal at three World Cups and two European Championships but all have heartbreakingly ended short, one way or another, casting a long shadow over his many club successes.

Ronaldo’s international struggles go all the way back to his youth career when Portugal failed to progress past the group stage at the 2002 UEFA European Under-17 Championships. He also featured in the Portugal squad that finished bottom of their group at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

He burst onto the international scene at Euro 2004, scoring two goals alongside European legends Figo and Deco as Portugal progressed to the final on home soil.  Their shocking final defeat to underdog champions Greece cuts the deepest of any of Ronaldo’s past international shortcomings and the defeat famously brought the nineteen-year-old Ronaldo to tears.

Ronaldo was on a mission to avenge his international demons at the 2006 World Cup but he went out in flames, being booed in Portugal’s semifinal defeat to France for a cheeky, now infamous wink in the aftermath of Wayne Rooney’s sending off for a stamp on Ricardo Carvalho.

Euro 2008 ended in a similar, if less memorable, let-down for Portugal.  Although they shined in the group stages Ronaldo & Co. were halted by eventual finalists Germany in the quarterfinals and it later became apparent that Ronaldo had played the tournament through injury.

In the 2010 World Cup, Portugal’s unfortunate streak of luck continued as they were dumped out in the Round of 16 by eventual champions Spain.  Likewise at the 2012 Euros, Ronaldo was magnificent as Portugal stormed into the semifinals only to lose to Spain on penalties.  Ronaldo was meant to take the all-important fifth spot-kick but, disappointingly, never had the opportunity after Bruno Alves hit the crossbar.

Ronaldo headlined Portugal’s World Cup 2014 squad as well but was plagued by injury and couldn’t lift his nation out of the Group of Death.

This time, however, Ronaldo has a bright, young supporting cast that could be pivotal in ensuring Portugal’s success.  Hulking eighteen-year-old forward Renato Sanches is the youngest player to ever be called up to an international tournament for Portugal, breaking a record previously held by Ronaldo himself at Euro 2004, and the player recently signed for Bayern Munich after the German super-club triggered his €35 million release clause from Benfica.

Sporting Lisbon’s on-fire creative midfielder Joao Mario is another talent to watch, coming off a fantastic season in Portugal, and Lille forward Eder is confident that he can combine with veteran forward Ricardo Quaresma up front.

Fernando Santos’ men signaled their ambitious intent with a 7-0 victory over Estonia in their final warm-up friendly for the tournament and Ronaldo will hope his hot run of form with both club and country can finally translate into success at the Euros. On the back of a Champions League final victory with Real Madrid, Ronaldo will hope to conquer Europe for the second time this summer with Portugal.

They have a somewhat forgiving group, which includes Hungary, who haven’t appeared at the Euros in forty-four years, Austria, and newcomers Iceland.  Portugal faces Iceland on Tuesday in their first test of the group and the opportunity beckons for Ronaldo to make a statement against the islanders.

The next time the Euros roll around Ronaldo will be thirty-five and given the exhausting travel schedule set for 2020 with its continent-wide venues, this may be his last opportunity to have a major impact at the European Championships. It’s now or never, do or die.

Homepage photo credit: Ludovic Péron [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.