Cristiano Ronaldo: Why the Portuguese Star Has Something to Prove at Euro 2012

As much as his detractors would like to convince themselves otherwise, it is an undeniable fact: Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers that has ever laced their boots.

His goal-scoring record speaks for itself.  In his last three seasons at Manchester United, Ronaldo averaged about three goals in every five matches.  At Real Madrid, he's done even better, with more than a goal per match.  On the international stage, the 27-year-old is already the third top scorer in the storied tradition of the Portuguese national team.

It's not only in his goal-scoring, though, that Ronaldo displays his greatness.  His dazzling tricks and blinding moves add to the beauty of his game.

But it's in his winning that Ronaldo cements himself as a great, as he has snared nine trophies from his time at Manchester United and two from Real Madrid.

Now, there is one part of Ronaldo's legacy that is inescapable: the link between him and Lionel Messi.

Over the past few years, these two have made it clear that they are two of the finest players of all time who just happen to be playing at the same time.

It seems as though one cannot mention one of the player's accomplishments without mentioning the other.  Even the players cannot get around mentioning each other, as evidenced by Ronaldo's interview with CNN in which he was goaded into stating that he is better than Messi (What else do you want him to think or say?).

Based upon statistics and accomplishments at the club level, the two are about equal, with perhaps a shade toward Messi.  After all, the Argentine has had an incredible trophy run with Barcelona these past few seasons and scored 72 goals in all competitions just this past season.

However, like any Ronaldo supporter would point out, Messi has a huge gap in his resume in one area: international play.

Messi's play with Argentina does not compare in the least with his play at Barcelona.  His goals per game average at the international stage is less than half than at the club level.  Additionally, Messi has been unable to guide his Argentina side to (or even close to) trophies.  This leads some to claim that Messi is a product of the Barcelona system.

On the other hand, Ronaldo's international career has been much more solid.

He has that respectable scoring record and has even helped Portugal to the cusp of trophies on multiple occasions.

While this looks good on the surface, though, a disturbing trend is evident that, if it were to continue, may hurt Ronaldo's legacy.

In major tournaments in which Ronaldo has played, Portugal's record is such:

Euro 2004, Finalist

World Cup 2006, Fourth Place

Euro 2008, Quarter-finalist.

World Cup 2010, Round of 16

The steady downward slide of Portugal's performance is obvious.  Even their qualification campaigns have suffered over time, as they have needed to go to playoffs to just qualify for the past two major tournaments.

Now, there are clearly a few mitigating circumstances for Ronaldo.  

For one thing, Ronaldo began his international career with the Portuguese "Golden Generation" of Luis Figo and company.  Clearly, no matter who the replacements are, the side has to decline with the loss of such talent.

Also, it could be blamed on managerial tactics, as Portugal has never seemed quite right since the loss of Phil Scolari.

However, it is still a fact that as Ronaldo has become more of the focal point for Portugal (and even taken over the captaincy), the side has performed at a lower level.  In the 2010 World Cup, Ronaldo's one-goal performance might even suggest that his performance is declining.

Now, a good performance at EURO 2012 for both Ronaldo and Portugal will make it clear that he is one of the best all-around players and leaders of all time.

On the other hand, a ho-hum tournament for Ronaldo with a routine elimination (even though they are in the "group of death") would open the door for detractors.  It wouldn't validate a "product of his system" argument since Ronaldo has succeeded in multiple systems, but it would just be a mark on his legacy.

If he really believes what he told CNN, Ronaldo can prove it with a stellar run in June.

Otherwise, it could allow irreparably hurt the Portuguese's case for dominance.