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France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

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    France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

    LOVE THIS VID of C-Ron coaching.

    You really see how he helped his team to win. It looks like a high school game, with the little whippersnapper and the grizzled coach who's constantly having to push him aside but probably enjoys the company.

    Keeping the crowd in the game, keeping his team in the game. It should be shown for how to be a leader when you can't play.

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      France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

      Yeah, agreed. I missed the final (I was travelling back from Montevideo), and was saddened when I heard the result, but on seeing the highlights I found myself quite surprised by how I actually felt quite happy for Ronaldo. He's carried his national team for a decade, had an awareness of himself as the star that's seemed* to be born from an honest assessment of his worth to the team rather than pumped-up arrogance, and quite clearly, in spite of his enormous wealth and all the club trophies he's won, this meant a tremendous amount to him.

      I can overlook the fact he seems to be a bit of a bellend, largely because that only really applies to trivial stuff that doesn't really matter; yes there's the tearing off of shirts after European Cup wins when he's been pretty awful in the final, yes there's that ridiculous shouting into the mic after winning the Ballon d'Or and so on, and no I wouldn't want to invite him to a dinner party or anything, but in many, many other ways - all the stuff we know about how he lives his off-pitch life, that is - he basically seems like a decent enough chap. He's a hard player to love at club level, but for Portugal it feels very different.

      Plus Lisbon's a wonderful city and every Portuguese person I know or have met has been very nice. And France's collection of individuals winning it would've been a shame in a way.

      *A friend of mine worked for the official broadcasters during Euro 2012, following Portugal around, and did daily interviews with him during the tournament, so this is first-hand information.

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        France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

        Strange to think warmly of Ferguson but I thought this was a nice touch.

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          France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

          Ferguson's wait is as heart-warming as Ronaldo's genuine happiness to see him.

          He's carried his national team for a decade
          We really need to define "carry" here. If carry means carry the burden of publicity for the team, press conferences, formal engagements, acting as spokesman for the players, setting an incredible example of professionalism, just ensuring all the players can concentrate on playing whilst he takes care of the circus, then yes, he's been carrying them for years now.

          If we're saying Ronaldo has been carrying the national team because he's the only decent player in it, then that is nonsense and the kind of nonsense highlighted undoubtedly by Portugal's performance in the final. There have always been quality supporting players in the Ronaldo-era and I would say 2014 was the only really bad tournament because Pepe, Nani and Moutinho were playing poorly at the time and the team really was just Ronaldo + 10.

          I think there was a danger of that happening this year, but Pepe and Nani were consistently playing great football, William found his best form again and the introduction of Renato Sanches gave Portugal a plyer nobody else in the tournament could match. Then, the latter stages cameos by Quaresma and especially Moutinho made a huge impact on games. Ronaldo was inconsistent, but his presence was vital on and off the pitch. Finally, I'm starting to feel the tide of opinion is finally starting to turn in his favour (something Ray de Galles and I have appreciated for years). Yes, he's a huge ego, yes, he's not the person you'd want to hang out with - but as a professional, as an example of giving absolutely everything to achieve your goals, he is possibly one of the most admirable human beings of my lifetime.

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            France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

            Forgot, of course, to mention Rui Patricio. A goalkeeper who is regularly a source of great merriment for Benfiquistas.

            He was just a different player during this tournament. I've watched him for years and can't recall him ever catching a cross or corner with both hands. Yet, he was doing it for fun in this tournament.

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              France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

              Borracho wrote: Jim Beglin on RTE says: "Moutinho coming in. I think that's a positive move." Is he genuinely unaware Moutinho is a defensive midfielder?
              Moutinho isn't a defensive midfielder. Either centre midfield, Number 10 or played on the right.

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                France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

                The party in Norn Iron's Little Lisbon (not Lisburn but Dungannon) is still going on, the local Timorese diaspora to the fore.

                An exuberant community who live life to the full. There was an incident a few years ago when one of them looked a bit funny at a next door Latvian's bird/ car/ pint. They had to throw both of them in the cells until an interpreter arrived from Manchester to sort it out

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                  France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

                  I didn't watch the final cause I was still sulking about Germany getting knocked out, but it seemed like the ideal outcome - dull game, France beaten, Ronaldo absent for most of it but still managing to make an arse of himself.

                  What is it with Real Madrid strikers and their ability to summon insect familiars?



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