After helping his nation to their first major championship final in 12 years, Portugal skipper, Cristiano Ronaldo, is bullish his team can go all the way to win the “dream” final.
Ronaldo, 31, scored his third goal of the 2016 European Championship as his country defeated Wales 2-0 to progress to the final – same position they lost on home soil in 2004.
The Seleção were written off prior to the tournament and finishing third in a group that had Iceland, Hungary and Austria didn’t help their course in the competition proper.
But a classy display to eliminate favourites, Croatia, in the last 16 – coupled with victories over Belgium and Wales in the quarter and semi-finals respectively, has however strengthen their chances.
And Ronaldo, who became his country’s all-time most capped player at the tourney is fully aware of that fact.
The Real Madrid superstar, the first to score in four consecutive Euros and only the second to notch nine, this time is aiming to go beyond his individual accolades by clinching his first for his country.
“It is what we have dreamt of since the beginning,” Ronaldo told Uefa.com after the game.
“I hope that [after the final] we will be smiling and that it will be tears of joy in the end. I have always said my dream was to win a trophy with Portugal. We are closer to doing it and I believe that we will win.
“With a lot of work, humility and the spirit of self-sacrifice, which I have always shown in my career, these sorts of things are doable.
“We knew it would be a long road and we are still in the tournament. We have believed right from the start. We had difficult moments, but it’s like I always say: it’s better to start poorly and have a positive ending.
“The players deserve it, the coach deserves it. The entire medical staff as well. They have been doing an excellent job with the players’ fitness. We haven’t won anything yet as I said a few days ago, but the dream is still alive.”
Meanwhile, club mate, Gareth Bale, who was on the losing side, was full of praises for Ronaldo, describing him as a “natural goalscorer who “scored yet again”.
Ronaldo and his teammates await the winner of Thursday’s semi-final clash between France and Germany to know who they will face in Sunday’s final.
