@FootynewsThe numbers are what get me. Three World Cups and three European Championships for the Portugal National Team before Cristiano Ronaldo, and not one international title to show for any of it. Then he shows up, and it becomes six World Cups, six European Championships, and three trophies in the cabinet, all three with him wearing the armband as captain. That's not a career arc, that's a before-and-after photo of an entire country's football history. He finished as the all-time leading scorer in the game, the all-time leading creator too, the most prolific scorer international football has ever seen, the only man to find the net at six separate World Cups, and Portugal's top scorer at the tournament on top of all of it. More than 20 years at the top, which is the part nobody really sits with. The ending maybe wasn't the one anyone drew up, but nothing about that touches the legacy. He changed the history of the sport in his country, and that's before we even get to the goals and the titles. So the choice to call him our idol holds up. All that's left is to say thank you. WE MADE THE BEST CHOICE BY CHOOSING YOU AS OUR IDOL! YOU WILL ALWAYS BE OUR IDOL, BICHO.

@FootynewsThe numbers are what get me. Three World Cups and three European Championships for the Portugal National Team before Cristiano Ronaldo, and not one international title to show for any of it. Then he shows up, and it becomes six World Cups, six European Championships, and three trophies in the cabinet, all three with him wearing the armband as captain. That's not a career arc, that's a before-and-after photo of an entire country's football history. He finished as the all-time leading scorer in the game, the all-time leading creator too, the most prolific scorer international football has ever seen, the only man to find the net at six separate World Cups, and Portugal's top scorer at the tournament on top of all of it. More than 20 years at the top, which is the part nobody really sits with. The ending maybe wasn't the one anyone drew up, but nothing about that touches the legacy. He changed the history of the sport in his country, and that's before we even get to the goals and the titles. So the choice to call him our idol holds up. All that's left is to say thank you. WE MADE THE BEST CHOICE BY CHOOSING YOU AS OUR IDOL! YOU WILL ALWAYS BE OUR IDOL, BICHO.