Portugal were “in shock” when their star captain had to be substituted but that, far from being dejected, a “fantastic” Ronaldo helped motivate the players, And after all Ronaldo resumed his captaincy duties to limp up the to the victory podium and receive the Henri Delaunay trophy. An emotional Ronaldo said: ‘I’m very happy. I’ve been waiting for a long time, since 2004, and asking God for another chance….
Portugal, the team that finished third in their group, had found a way even on a night when their greatest footballer was taken off on a stretcher. The players of France were on their knees and suddenly it was a sunrise of a smile on Ronaldo’s face, in stark contrast to the devastation that had been seen earlier in the night.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave the Portuguese squad what has been described as an “unbelievable” half-time speech, telling his teammates he was “sure” they would beat France in their 1-0 Euro 2016 final victory despite having to go off injured after 25 minutes, Cedric Soares has revealed.
“It was a very tough moment,” Soares said. “I remember, for me and the team, everybody was a little bit in shock I think.
“In half-time, Cristiano had fantastic words for us. He gave us a lot of confidence and said ‘listen people, I’m sure we will win, so stay together and fight for it.’
“It was really unbelievable. I think all the team had a fantastic attitude. And we showed tonight when you fight as one you are much much stronger.”