Cannot understand why he seemed to opt out of taking the first penalty today but rightly or not my theory is that being Ronaldo he was banking on being either the hero or saviour of his country with the last shot. He is undoubtedly a talent but for me his flaw is in his selfishness. I remember when he first came to MUFC and Van Nistelroy stood in acres of space waiting for a pass across the goal but Ronaldo chose to shoot or beat his man again. Van Nistelroy eventually left in odd circumstances but who would have known what those two could have achieved as a duo. Maybe saved MUFC 30mil they paid for Rooney. More recently the two ECL finals against Barcelona where he tried to turn the games into Ronaldo v Messi and came mightily unstuck. Real Madrid fans tolerate him as just another player; but his goals for them have come in batches against the less stronger teams in the Primera League. No doubt he would make his place in any international team but in some only if he stook to the game plan.
There's 2 ways to look at it though. I agree with you and that was my first thought, but there's also a chain of thought that he said, as you mentioned, that he'd put himself on the line for the pressure kick, whether that be to win it, or to keep Portugal alive. He had a great tournament, sadly that'll be lost under this cloud. Portugal had 3 golden opportunities on the break when the wrong final ball was selected, that, and not Ronaldo, cost them a place in the final for me.
He's missed some crucial penalties so i think that and the fact he was captain were the reasons he didnt take one of the first 4. He should have took one though undoubtedly and people will use this to criticise. He's the best player in the world for me and no amount of Messi tap ins and spoon feeding from Xavi and Iniesta is going to change my mind.
People keep telling him he looks just beautiful that way , well the voices in his head do as he stands preening himself nursing a staggeringly small boner in one of the many full length mirrors he likes around him (when no stadia screen is available to look at!)
My first reaction was to think he'd bottled it. Unbelievable player at times but he often goes missing in big matches.
Sorted Cristiano Ronaldo admits he offered no argument after being asked to step up fifth in Portugal's Euro 2012 semi-final penalty shoot-out with Spain. With 120 minutes of hard-fought action failing to produce a winner on Wednesday, as two Iberian neighbours cancelled each other out in a goalless draw, a spot-kick lottery was required to determine who would grace the European Championship final. As captain and national talisman, it was expected that Ronaldo would step up early for Portugal and try to set the tone. He was, however, kept back until the end and saw failures from Joao Mountinho and Bruno Alves rob him of an opportunity to convert from 12 yards - as Spain prevailed 4-2. Ronaldo claims Portugal coach Paulo Bento suggested that he should take the final spot-kick, and insists he had no problem with placing added responsibility on the shoulders of others. Agreed "I was going to take the fifth penalty but we missed two," said the Real Madrid forward. "It was just a question of me speaking with the coach. He said to me: 'Do you want to take the fifth one?' and I said 'yes'. "Sometimes I take the first, the second or the third. I agreed to take the fifth.
