"He was being eliminated in the Copa America, in his own country" - When Cristiano Ronaldo lost his cool and took a dig at Lionel Messi

During the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo lost his cool after Portugal's group game against Denmark and took a dig at Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo headed to the tournament in Poland in great form. The then-Real Madrid superstar had just led his club side to La Liga glory by bringing an end to Barcelona's dominance in Spanish football.

Ronaldo's start to the competition, however, was far from ideal. Paulo Bento's team were defeated by Germany in their opening Group B game, courtesy of a Mario Gomez winner.

Portugal next faced Denmark. Danish fans antagonized Ronaldo by chanting Lionel Messi's name at him. Whether that affected him is unclear. Ronaldo had a stinker in the game.

While Portugal secured a 3-2 win, the no. 7 missed a few gilt-edged opportunities during the contest. After the match, Ronaldo was quizzed about the Messi chants aimed at him.

The superstar forward lost his cool and pointed out that Messi's Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa America the previous year. La Albiceleste lost to eventual champions Uruguay via penalties. The tournament took place in Argentina in 2011.

Ronaldo said (via Yahoo Sports):

You know where [Messi] was at this time [last year]? Do you know? He was being eliminated in the Copa America, in his own country. I think that's worse, no?"

Cristiano Ronaldo, however, made a strong comeback to the tournament. He produced a masterclass against the Netherlands, scoring a brace. Had his late left-footed rocket from outside the box gone in, Ronaldo could easily have registered a hat-trick.

🇵🇹 This Cristiano Ronaldo display #OTD at EURO 2012 🔥🔥🔥

@Cristiano | @selecaoportugal https://t.co/YteMdl6eFy

He also scored the winner against the Czech Republic in the quarter-final with a brilliantly headed goal past Petr Cech. Portugal, however, lost through penalties against eventual champions Spain in the semi-final.

Joao Moutinho and Xabi Alonso both had their shots saved. Bruno Alves hit the bar that saw Portugal get eliminated, with Ronaldo not getting the chance to take his spot-kick.

When Armenian fans chanted Lionel Messi's name to Cristiano Ronaldo

Armenian fans also tried to take away Cristiano Ronaldo's focus by chanting Lionel Messi's name at him. This occurred during their country's UEFA Euro qualifying game in 2015 against Portugal.

However, their provocation made matters worse for the home team. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a sensational hat-trick to secure a 3-2 win for his country.