Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho not too impressed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s antics during the final of the 2016 European Championships
Portugal claimed their first ever major international trophy in their history by claiming the 2016 European Championship title in France back in July and the triumph was made all the more impressive by the fact that Selecao managed to earn the win without talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo had to be subbed off during the first half after picking up a knee following a heavy challenge from France’s Dimitri Payet and many thought at the time that Portugal’s chances of earning the win had been dealt with a major.
However, Portugal soldiered on even without Ronaldo and eventually managed a smash and grab victory in extra time through a wonderful goal by substitute Eder.
Ronaldo may not have been able to make much impact on the pitch on the night but he was really animated on the sidelines by barking out instructions to his teammates and he arguably even upstaged actual manager Fernando Santos.
Many credited Ronaldo for inspiring his teammates from the dugout but Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was not entirely impressed with the actions of the 31-year-old and he has now gone on to state that the Real Madrid star’s contribution in Portugal’s victory has been exaggerated.
Mourinho told Sport TV (cited by Goal), “His contribution in the last few minutes of the final was nothing. There were 11 players on the pitch doing their job, and the person in charge of them was the coach.
“I looked at it as an overload of emotion, from someone who saw that the team was just minutes away from achieving the objective that they all wanted.
“He lost a little emotional control, although that’s not a bad thing. I think the 11 who were there in those four or five minutes were totally focused on what they were doing, they had full control of the situation.
“But my experience has told me that, in these moments, when important decisions might need to be made, the players are lost in their own little worlds.”
