Ronaldo
Cristiano has revealed that Antoine Griezmann had some choice words for his cross-town rival after Portugal defeated France to lift the Euro 2016 trophy.
The Real Madrid talisman says he met his Atletico Madrid counterpart in a restaurant in the wake of Portugal’s Euro 2016 win over France and they enjoyed a funny interaction.
Griezmann will go down in history as the player of the tournament at the European Championships, but clearly would have preferred to forego any individual honours in favour of lifting the title on home soil.
“It’s funny,” Ronaldo told France Football , “Because shortly after the final, while I was on vacation in Miami, I met Antoine Griezmann in a restaurant where he was dining with his fiancee. He came over to my table and said with a sly smile: ‘Cristiano, I hate you!'”
Portugal had gained a reputation throughout the showpiece event as a largely uninspiring side whose style of play left a lot to be desired, and Ronaldo feels that, as a result, France’s favourites tag played into the hands of Fernando Santos and his charges.
“I was convinced that serenity was the key to everything. We knew we had a big advantage in that we were not the favourites,” the attacker said.
“When we started warming up on the pitch, I felt the French looked a bit too relaxed. They were smiling a lot. You have the right to smile before a game but they all seemed very happy.
“The French thought they would win easily – at least that’s the impression we got.”
Ronaldo himself was unable to stay on the pitch until the match’s completion due to picking up an injury in the second half, and despite eventually lifting the trophy, the disappointment at picking up the knock is not something the attacker will soon forget.
“I returned to the dressing room to the team doctor to give me a quick diagnosis. I was crying because I thought it was serious but the doctor quickly reassured me. Still, I continued to cry.”
