Fernando Santos Talks Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Euro 2016 and More

Portugal manager Fernando Santos has insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo will never be a true centre forward despite the Real Madrid star having recently turned out for club and country in the No. 9 role.

He does not believe that Ronaldo is a classic winger either, as the former Manchester United star cannot be tasked with defensive duties given how much energy he puts into attacking.

Ronaldo will be Santos' key player at next summer's UEFA Euro 2016 in France, and the manager is looking to give him as much "potency" as possible, but he does not see him as a true striker, per Spanish outlet AS: "He'll never be a centre forward, a traditional number nine, who plays with his back to goal in the area. Neither is he a classic winger, as Luis Figo was. Cristiano is more dangerous when he's cutting in from the flanks to the middle."

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While Santos admitted that Ronaldo has an ego, he described it as "egoism in the good sense," in that it drives his desire to win and to be the best, per AS.

Certainly the 30-year-old is currently considered to be one of the two best players in the word alongside Barcelona's Lionel Messi. And as far as Santos is concerned, Ronaldo and Messi are both geniuses and are thus incomparable.

For a player who is not a striker, Ronaldo scores a remarkable amount of goals—he has netted seven in nine La Liga matches in 2015-16 following a season-tally of 48 last term, per WhoScored.com.

His effectiveness in front of goal will be vital for the Portugal side at the Euros, but Santos does not believe his side are among the favourites, per AS: "France, Germany and Spain [are the favourites], and behind them England and Italy. Portugal aren't among the favourites in principle, but we have the ability and the obligation to fight for the title."

Portugal had an impressive run in qualifying. Following an opening home defeat to Albania and the instalment of Santos as manager, they won seven games on the bounce to book their place in France.

All of their victories were achieved by a single-goal margin, a trend Santos will perhaps look to change slightly in the run-up to the tournament.

The 61-year-old has arguably the most devastating attacker in the world available to him in Ronaldo, a player who can terrorise defences.

Played in the right system, Ronaldo can win games on his own. Santos is clearly looking for the ideal formula to get the best out of his star man, but playing him at No. 9 is seemingly not the answer.