Euro 2012 Players to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal

Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine is quickly approaching—just 18 days to go until the opening ceremony and first match.

With that in mind, it's important to know which players we should be keeping an eye out for come the tournament opening.

Good players will be plain to see, but the exceptional players are the ones that really catch the eye.

With more to come as the days roll by, here begins the Euro 2012 Players to Watch series.

Up first...Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal.

Background

Simply put, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most expensive footballer in history.

Real Madrid paid Manchester United €93.9 million for the player in 2009 and he's been worth every penny.

To go along with his huge transfer fee, Real Madrid pay the player €12 million a year in wages (according to BBC Sport) and have slapped a €1 billion buy-out clause (according to Marca, h/t Inside World Soccer) in his contract

Ronaldo was crowned Ballon d'Or winner in 2008, and finished second in the FIFA Ballon d'Or awards of 2011.

The winger-come-forward is the captain of Portugal.

In Numbers

As far as statistics go, Cristiano Ronaldo is unbelievably impressive.

He had 196 league appearances for Manchester United from 2003 to 2009 and yielded 84 goals before a move to Real Madrid ensued.

Seemingly discontent with his 0.43 goals-per-game ratio in the Premier League, Ronaldo increased his output in La Liga with 112 goals in 101 league appearances—or 1.11 goals per game if you'd prefer.

International success in front of goal has been a little harder to come by for the Portuguese forward with 32 goals in 88 games his current strike rate.

What to Expect

With great ability comes great expectations, and Cristiano Ronaldo carries a nation's expectations on his shoulders.

Being widely regarded as one of the best players that has ever lived means that Cristiano Ronaldo will have to be at his mesmerizing and tricky best in order to please the fans.

His domestic form going into the competition could hardly be better, but his skills will be tested to the limit after being drawn in the so called group of death.

Portugal will be pitting themselves against Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands during the group stages, with the latter two teams the favourites to progress.

What They Say About Him

Cristiano Ronaldo often doesn't need anyone to speak for him. Just recently the forward has been quoted as declaring himself as better than Lionel Messi—a debate that will likely be argued until the end of time.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson moved to praise the ability and intensity of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2011 by declaring him "the best player in the world"—a view of real knowledge considering the Scotsman's coaching of Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, David Beckham et al.

Ronaldo's current club coach—Jose Mourinho—also backs his player's claim as the best around after declaring that the forward deserved to win the next FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Enough said, really.

Still Not Convinced?

Still not convinced about the devastating effect that Cristiano Ronaldo could have on the European Championships 2012?

Simply take a look at the video compilation above.

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