Cristiano Ronaldo says Euro 2016 equals having a World Cup trophy after Portugal’s exit

Cristiano Ronaldo says that his European Championship win with Portugal in 2016 holds the same significance to having a World Cup.

The 41-year-old remarks came after Portugal was eliminated out of the 2026 World Cup by Spain in the round 16. The competition held in North America was one he had approached the championship hoping to further embellish his football legacy by winning the trophy.

He said that before his time with the Portuguese national team had won nothing but his remarkable contributions. In this regard he said: “ I played 23 years in the national team and won three titles. Before Cristiano Portugal had won anything. The Euros was the most important, 2016 has the same dimension as a World Cup.”

On social platform X, fans wrote intriguing comments with one user writing, “ Playing and scoring in 6 World Cups without making the highest World Cup appearance or being the highest goal scorer in the World Cup is quite embarrassing.

The second said: “ All the best, Cristiano. Thank you for everything. You gave us memories that will last a lifetime. No matter what, you’ll always be my GOAT.”

Ronaldo is considered one of the legendary footballers with over 950 career goals and five UCL trophies. He remarkably won distinct league titles across England, Spain and Italy before his stopover to Saudi Arabia.