Cristiano Ronaldo wept with sadness and joy as substitute Eder’s extra-time goal saw Portugal beat hosts France 1-0 in Sunday’s Euro 2016 final to win their first major tournament.
“It was not the final I wanted, but I am very happy,” Ronaldo said. “It is a trophy for all the Portuguese, for all immigrants, all the people who believed in us, so I am very happy and very proud.”
The Real Madrid striker cried twice in the final, once when he was stretchered off injured and again when he limped back on in joy after his Portugal teammates claimed a historic win over France.
When he succumbed to a knee injury midway through the first half at the Stade de France, it looked set to be a miserable night for the three-time World Player of the Year. But it took 109 minutes before the former Swansea striker scored a stunner which saw Portugal triumph 1-0 to stun the hosts.
“Today I felt sadness and happiness. What I can say is that it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I cried,” said Ronaldo, who later, despite his injury, danced his way through the mixed zone in Paris with several teammates, without stopping for waiting for reporters.
In the absence of their star man, it was the Lille forward who emerged as the unlikely hero and the Real Madrid superstar insisted he had a feeling that would happen. “I felt it would be him who would resolve the game in extra-time. I am not a wizard or a visionary, but I always follow my feelings,” Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo had been floored by a heavy challenge from France’s Dimitri Payet in the eighth minute of the game.
He rolled in agony, was led off for treatment and came back. After hobbling for several minutes, Ronaldo went off again to have his left leg bandaged.
One acceleration showed that he could not go on and he sat down in the 24th minute before signalling that he could not carry on.
He took off the captain’s armband and, as the tears welled up, was carried off on a stretcher to be replaced by Ricardo Quaresma.
The 31-year-old Madrid forward played in the Portugal side that lost the 2004 European Championship final 1-0 to Greece and his emotional teenaged outburst then has remained one of the enduring images of that tournament.
He had said before the Paris final that he wanted to be “crying for joy” this time he could not have imagined how his prediction would come true.
Payet escaped any sanction from referee Mark Clattenburg for the challenge, something that disappointed Portugal coach Fernando Santos.
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