Champions League Final 2016: 5 takeaways for Euro 2016

2. Portugal will need Cristiano Ronaldo to be much better

Anyone who’s ever watched soccer over the last decade will tell you, begrudgingly or not, that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most dangerous, talented, and lethal players in the sport. Ronaldo is undoubtedly going to go down as a historical great in the footballing world and as one of the best goal-scorers ever. However, he looked like none of those things on Saturday in the Champions League Final for Real Madrid.

Though he had a handful of shots and made some decent runs throughout his 120 minutes on the pitch, Ronaldo was lackluster in a noticeable way in the final. There wasn’t as much pace or urgency in his play as there probably should have been given the stakes of the match and there also wasn’t the level of unique skill that he brings to the table. Instead, he looked almost as if he was going through the motions. CR7 going through the motions is still better than a lot of players, but it doesn’t make him a leader.

And yes, he hit the winning penalty—but does that really discount 120 minutes of mediocre-to-poor play? By my estimation, no.

In the Euro 2016 tournament, Portugal is going to need Ronaldo to be a leader, though. As such, the effort and type of performance that the star put forth in the Champions League Final isn’t going to get the job done for his country in the upcoming tournament. He’s going to have to take it up at least a couple of notches if he’s to make an impression and if the Portuguese are going to have success.

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