Ronaldo: 'France is the favorite but Portugal will win'

Portugal's captain striker believes his team did not start well but has all the elements to become Euro 2016 champions.

* The Euro 2016 final will take place at 2am on July 11, Hanoi time, live on Baonghean.vn

Cristiano Ronaldo was part of the Portugal team that lost to Greece in the Euro 2004 final in Lisbon. Twelve years on from the tears of defeat at home, the Real Madrid star is determined not to miss out again.

"Winning the championship with the national team would be very meaningful. It is something I have always dreamed of. I have won everything at club level as well as individual titles, but winning with the Portuguese team would be a great achievement," Ronaldo said.

"I believe that victory is possible. My teammates and my country believe so too. We have to stay positive because I believe that this Sunday will be the day Portugal wins its first major title."

Ronaldo believes the initial difficulties helped Portugal shape their playing style. Photo: Reuters.

The Portugal captain has scored three goals at Euro 2016, two of which came in the final group game against Hungary, and the other the opener in the 2-0 semi-final win over Wales.

"The semi-final was positive. The team did well, played well and scored two important goals against a team with high morale in this tournament, Wales. They are a perfect team with an excellent coach. They had a great tournament. Portugal played well in that match, we were the better team and created more chances. We deserved to win and reach the final," Ronaldo commented.

The win over Wales was the first time Portugal had beaten an opponent in 90 minutes of regulation time at Euro 2016. Ronaldo and his teammates had drawn all five previous matches. They had even failed to beat Iceland, Austria and Hungary in the group stage and only advanced as one of the four third-placed teams with the best records.

"We started off slow. The results of the first matches were not what we wanted. But it has to be said that it was beneficial for us. Getting to the final took a lot of effort, but in return the players, the coach and the tactical system have stabilized. We all deserve to be congratulated," Ronaldo said.

When asked about the final result, the 31-year-old star confidently declared: "France is the favorite compared to us but Portugal will win."

According to VNE