How did Cristiano Ronaldo help Portugal become a world-class team?
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Cristiano Ronaldo won the Euros for Portugal in 2016
There is no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players to have ever kicked a football and he has been hugely influential for his club sides throughout the years. But has he transformed Portugal’s recent history or have things always been good for The Navigators? We take a look at the history of the Portuguese national team.
Portugal before Cristiano Ronaldo made his international debut
From 1930 until 1980, things were pretty bleak for Portugal aside from one World Cup appearance. That showing was impressive for a country making their international debut at a major tournament and they played some of the best football in the 1966 World Cup.
A side featuring Eusebio made it all the way to the semi-finals, eventually finishing third after winning five of their six games but it was the only success the country had in that period.
It took 18 years for the country to qualify for another major tournament, the 1984 European Championships. That again proved to be a success as they reached the semi-finals once again before succumbing to a late Michel Platini goal as France won on their home soil. Their appearance at Mexico 86 was slightly more disappointing as they finished bottom of a group containing Morocco, England and Poland.
Once again there was a long wait as they failed to qualify for the next three World Cups and two European Championships. At Euro 96 in England, they reached the quarter-finals eventually losing to the finalists Czech Republic.
Portugal after Cristiano Ronaldo donned the A Seleção shirt
Things had started to pick up before Ronaldo’s first tournament. In 2000, Luis Figo led the side to a third-place finish at the Euros but two years later they were dumped out at the group stage once more in Korea and Japan 2002.
Then Ronaldo burst onto the scene. In 2004 they should have won the tournament but lost the final to Greece on home soil leaving a young Ronnie in tears. In 2006, as Ronaldo was gaining power, they finished fourth in the World Cup after another semi-final defeat. Two years later they fell at the quarter-final stage.
But progress was being made and a succession of major tournaments allowed football in Portugal to grow, as Ronaldo shone on the world stage. 2010 was disappointing as they lost to eventual winners Spain in the last 16 and in 2012 they made it all the way to the semi-finals.
The World Cup has been the sticking point for them and there was another group stage exit in 2014 before their crowning glory in 2016. Ronaldo’s Portugal team won Euro 2016 against all odds beating Croatia, Poland, Wales and France in the final to achieve their first major competition victory cementing Ronaldo’s legacy as the greatest Portuguese player of all time.
The European Champions couldn’t follow that up with another success in 2018 but they became the inaugural winners of the Nations League in 2019 adding two major trophies to Ronaldo as well as Portugal National teams illustrious history.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s impact on Portugal National team
Ronaldo has been a key part of Portugal’s modern success and they have improved because of him. When Ronaldo eventually retires, he would leave the Portugal national team in a better place than they were before. Even with the emergence of Jao Felix, Raphael Leao, Bernado Silva and many more, Portugal’s Golden boy will always be a certain teen with crooked teeth from Madeira.
They have gone from European nobodies to European Champions over the course of two decades thanks to no small part from Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro.
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Sujeeth Shetty
(766 Articles Published)