Ronaldo: Euro 2016 Means as Much as World Cup After Spain Loss

Portugal's captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, has said that winning Euro 2016 with Portugal feels as big as winning a World Cup. He spoke after his team was knocked out of the World Cup by Spain in the Round of 16 on Monday.

Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 in Arlington, Texas, thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Mikel Merino. This loss marked the end of Ronaldo's sixth and what he called his final World Cup.

After the match, Ronaldo told reporters that the Euro title he won with Portugal a decade ago is just as important as the World Cup, which he never won. "I’ve won Euro 2016 and for me it has same dimension as the World Cup. That remains forever. Tomorrow is a new day, and we go," he said.

He expressed no regrets about how his last World Cup ended. Instead, he pointed to his overall success with the national team. "I will wake up tomorrow with same mood as I did today. I did my best. I won three titles with Portugal, before me it was zero titles. I can only be happy," Ronaldo added.

Ronaldo had mentioned before the match that this would be his last World Cup. He confirmed that his time in international tournaments is over, but he did not completely rule out playing for the national team again. "It’s been my last World Cup, yes… but now I will have time to think, stay with my family and life continues," he stated.

He talked about leaving the tournament without regrets, saying that this is part of sports. "I’m leaving with clear conscience. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

"I’m sad now after being eliminated like this… but I gave it all, my very best.

"We played a good game; the performance was well done. We could have done better, but Spain are among the best; they will get to the final or close," he said.

At 41 years old, Ronaldo ends his World Cup career with 27 appearances and 11 goals over six tournaments. He never won the trophy, which was the last big prize he needed.

This year, he scored twice against Uzbekistan and also converted a penalty against Croatia, finishing with three goals. His best World Cup performance was in 2006 when Portugal reached the semi-finals.

Even though the World Cup trophy slipped away, Ronaldo won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016, along with two UEFA Nations League titles.