Euro 2016 Final: How Cristiano Ronaldo motivated his teammates during half time
Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to make an impact on the pitch but managed to deliver an unbelievable halftime speech that managed to inspire the Portugal team to clinch their first major international trophy in the form of Euro 2016.
The team went on to win the Euro 2016 by trumping France 1-0 in the tournament, but the stories behind how they managed to do so are now slowly coming out. Though the match winning goal was scored by Eder, the former Premier League frontman revealed how Ronaldo gave him the confidence as he entered the fray.
“Ronaldo told me, I would score the winning goal for the team, He gave me this strength, this energy and it was vital. It was a goal I've been working for from the first minute of the Euros,” Eder told O Jogo, the Portuguese newspaper.
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Southampton's Cedric Soares revealed that the skipper put his disappointment aside by delivering a rousing half-time pep talk and rallied his teammates to victory. "It was a very tough moment, I remember, for me and the team; everybody was a little bit in shock I think.” Soares said.
The Real Madrid talisman was in tears when he was substituted in the 25th minute due to an injury but did not let his disappointment get on to his teammates.
“He gave us a lot of confidence and he said, 'Listen people, I'm sure we will win this Euro so stay together and fight for it'. It was unbelievable.
“All the team had a fantastic attitude and showed that when you fight as one you are much stronger. He was fantastic. His attitude was unbelievable. At half-time he helped a lot, our colleagues; he had always a lot of motivational words. All the team reacted to them so it was very, very good", Soares added.
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Suffering from a knee injury, Ronaldo spent much of the second half and extra time alongside boss Fernando Santos acting as an effective assistant manager, giving instructions from the bench. "Yes, he had fantastic words for each player in each moment of the game ... I'm really really happy to be part of this group and be champion", the right-back opined.