Cristiano Ronaldo News: "Cristiano was punching me"- Portugal manager reflects on Ronaldo's reaction after Euro triumph
What's the story?
Portugal coach Fernando Santos has opened up about Cristiano Ronaldo's reaction after the teams Euro triumph back in 2016.
Santos was not aware that the full-time whistle had been blown before Ronaldo told him that they had won the game.
In case you didn't know...
Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed his first bit of international glory as Portugal won the Euro Championship in 2016 by defeating France. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has enjoyed immense success with his clubs over the years but he was yet to taste glory with his national team before 2016.
Ronaldo bagged three goals and provided three assists as he helped Portugal reach the finals in the Euro Championships. Unfortunately, the Portuguese talisman was injured in the 16th minute of the game after a challenge from France's Dimitri Payet.
Payet's challenge injured the Portuguese talismans left knee and despite Ronaldo's best efforts, he was not able to continue the match.
Despite suffering the injury, Ronaldo kept motivating his teammates from the sidelines. Portugal eventually found the winner in the extra-time of the game, thanks to a strike from Eder.
Ronaldo won his second major trophy with Portugal as they won the inaugural UEFA Nations League by beating the Netherlands in the finals.
The heart of the matter
Speaking in an interview, Santos said:
"It's a brutal image. I was shouting for someone to take over on the left wing but Cristiano was punching me and said: 'Old man, old man! We've already won!'"
The Portuguese boss also hailed the work ethic of Ronaldo.
"When I arrived at Sporting I told him he had great potential, that he was going to be a great player, but that he had to improve his passing game."
"The next day I turned up at training and he was already there with some mates putting in balls for him to strike. His preoccupation was to train hard to improve in what the coach had said."
What's next?
Cristiano Ronaldo will take a much-needed break before returning to Juventus for pre-season friendlies.