Cristiano Ronaldo has a chance to overshadow Lionel Messi and truly take his place among the greats of the beautiful game by tasting International success, hoping to raise a major trophy with Portugal for the first time on Monday morning.
When thinking of the top players across the world of football, some great names always spring to mind immediately. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, Diego Maradona, and Paolo Maldini are but a few of these. The thing is, most of these names have won trophies with club and country, but the two who have not yet won meaningful silverware with their nations are mentioned first, and are today’s most touted superstars – Messi and Ronaldo.
Messi is a modern day maestro, there is no doubt of his immense talent and his ability to earn trophies at club level with Barcelona. He has won it all in a glittering decade of success at the Blaugrana, and also with Argentinian youth teams at the under-17 and under-20 World Cups. However, the ‘Little Master’ has failed multiple times at claiming the highest honours with his countries senior national side, after Argentina lost out to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, and twice to Chile in successive Copa Americas.
Ronaldo too has fallen short on the international stage, so often performing poorly or producing a flat display among star-studded Portugal lineups. Who can forget the 2004 Euro final, in which the then 19-year-old sobbed at the final whistle. 12 years ago a loser…now he again has the chance to win.
Like Messi has with Barcelona, Ronaldo has managed to win all the cups possible, but unlike Messi, and even more impressively, ‘CR7’ has won them at two clubs. Of course it has helped that the two he has played for over the years are the super success machines of Manchester United and Real Madrid, but his non-stop ability to win and be better than all of his teammates is staggering.
Though Messi and records will be the last thing on the Portuguese captain’s mind when he takes the field against an Antoine Greizmann inspired France in the Euro 2016 final on Sunday night. All Ronaldo will want is to be able to hold the trophy aloft at the final whistle, standing alongside his compatriots in the winners circle for the first time on the international stage.
History is against the Seleção, when France host a global football tournament it is almost worth handing them the trophy then and there, because they usually do the business at home (Euro 1984, 1998 World Cup) or when they have such a complete side, they can even win away (Euro 2000).
Ronaldo can solidify his legacy with a win in this iteration’s final. To beat a stacked French team, in their own backyard, with a Portugal side that has at times looked destined of falling short and could not win a single game in normal time until the final four, would be nothing short of incredible.
To do so on the back of Messi’s miserable Copa America Centanario defeat and subsequent retirement from international football would be the ultimate way to settle the scores. Ronaldo could trump Messi’s stature in the game by claiming silverware on Sunday night.
This could be the defining moment of our footballing generation. The moment the might of Leo was fully overshadowed by the towering Ronaldo. With a win, the 31-year-old could do what tax fraud, Ballon d’Or losses and finals heartbreak could not do to Messi – ensure that the greatest player in the world right now was definitive among all football fans without him in the conversation.
Come Monday morning we could be talking about Ronaldo the European champion, Champions league winner, (soon to be) three time Ballon d’Or winner and unarguably the greatest player of our generation.
Lionel Messi fans look away – squad CR7 rejoice!
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