How Euro 2004's Disappointment Kept Cristiano Ronaldo Going for Portugal

Think of Cristiano Ronaldo and a few images come to mind. His trademark celebration for one, mouth open, face contorted, muscles flexed. Or his shirtless jubilation in both Champions League finals he has won as a Real Madrid player also define his legend. But one image still tarnishes Ronaldo’s career.

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That image is of the then-teenage winger in floods of tears after losing the Euro 2004 final. Portugal, as hosts, were favourites to beat Greece and claim their first-ever international honour, distinguishing their golden generation with some silverware.

Greece, however, pulled off one of football’s greatest shocks to upset the home nation and Ronaldo, quite literally.

For all his success since then—winning Premier League, La Liga and Champions League titles—Ronaldo is still haunted by that failure 12 years ago. It’s kept him going at international level, inspiring him to lead his country with such vigour at this summer’s European Championship in France.

While Lionel Messi has retired from international duty for Argentina having failed to deliver success on the international stage, it seems unlikely that Ronaldo will ever call it quits for Portugal before he has some silverware to clutch. It’s not in his character to give up before he succeeds, and international success is the one thing he has yet to achieve over the course of his glittering career.

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It’s perhaps for this reason that Ronaldo has been wound so tightly at Euro 2016 this summer. The burden of this chance afforded to him and his Portugal team-mates is weighing heavily on his sculpted, bronzed shoulders. The tears of 12 years ago still sting and provide his greatest motivation. Such pressure might be having a detrimental effect on him personally. 

For Portugal, Ronaldo takes everything upon himself. He has others to help him at Real Madrid, with some of the game’s greatest players to call upon as team-mates. When things aren’t going well for Ronaldo—as rare as that may be—he is invariably dug out at club level. The same doesn’t happen when he turns out for Portugal.

Indeed, no player—not even Gareth Bale—has had so much pressure heaped on them over the past few weeks, with Ronaldo expected to drag Portugal through games almost single-handedly.

The 31-year-old has yet to find his best form this summer, scoring just twice in five outings. If he does hit his stride, Fernando Santos’ side could become frontrunners to go all the way in France.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Ronaldo underplays the extent to which he craves international success with Portugal.

"The dream is getting closer and anything can happen now. I'm not missing anything [in honours] and even if my career finished today, I would still feel privileged," the Portugal captain explained, per AFP and PA Sport (h/t Sky Sports). "But I've always said, and I don't hide it, that I would love to win a title with the national team. We're on the right road.”

But make no mistake, Ronaldo wants to win this summer’s European Championship more than anything else. Even more than another Ballon d’Or. Somewhere in his bulging trophy cabinet—maybe at his own personal museum in Madeira—there is one honour missing, and that is something won with Portugal.

So what chance do Ronaldo’s side have of not just making the July 10 final at the Stade de France but winning the whole thing? They might not have won a match in 90 minutes over the course of the tournament, beating Croatia in extra-time before seeing off Poland in a penalty shootout, but they have been a tough team to beat. In knockout football that is an extremely valuable trait. 

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In fact, that is a quality that might have rubbed off on the rest of the Portugal team from Ronaldo, a man who does whatever is necessary to win. Sometimes he does just enough, like scoring the winning penalty in a Champions League final, but he always finds a way to come out on top, outlasting everyone else. Portugal are much like that at Euro 2016.

Portugal and Ronaldo have been given a golden opportunity to make amends for their failure 12 years ago, with Wales certainly beatable opponents in Wednesday’s semi-final.

Landing in the kinder half of the draw Portugal have enjoyed good fortune this summer. Wales will prove tough opponents, with Bale and his side providing the most compelling storyline of Euro 2016 so far, but nonetheless, Ronaldo and Co. have been handed the most favourable tie any team could hope for in the semi-finals of a major tournament. 

And so Ronaldo has never before been presented with a better opportunity to finally wipe the tears of 2004 from his face. Portugal have reached more semi-finals (seven) of major tournaments without lifting any silverware than any other nation, but none of those last-four appearances have weighed so heavily in their favour.

LUCA BRUNO/Associated Press

That’s not to say Wales are not capable of pulling off a surprise. In fact, they could be considered the form team coming into the match, with the Dragons the tournament’s top scorers up until this point. They are about much more than just Bale, as Belgium found out in the quarter-finals. That’s what makes them so dangerous and why Portugal shouldn’t underestimate them on Wednesday. 

Ronaldo has changed a lot in the 12 years since he suffered heartbreak at the European Championship. He is no longer the willowy, scrawny prospect he was back then, having filled into his frame and fulfilled his potential as one of the greatest footballers of his generation. But this could be the last real chance he gets at righting the one wrong that taints his career.

It might not matter to most whether Ronaldo has something to show for all his efforts at international level, but it certainly matters to the man himself.