Ronaldo toasts triumph with $2.7m Bugatti
CRISTIANO Ronaldo may only have completed one-sixth of the Euro 2016 final for Portugal, but that hasn’t stopped him enjoying the fruits of his summer’s labour by buying the fastest road car in the world.
After being substituted with a knee injury 25 minutes into Portugal’s eventual 1-0 win over hosts France, Ronaldo presumably needs the luxurious confines of the Veyron — which costs more to manufacture than its market price — as part of his prescribed recovery programme.
As Ronaldo approaches the autumn of his career, it’s understandable that he should wish to compensate by driving a car with a top speed of 433km/h. The 31-year-old does, however, risk being upstaged by his handsome $2.7-million ride. The Veyron has an output of 987 brake horsepower — surely rivalling that of its new owner, who scored 364 goals in 348 senior games for his club side, Real Madrid.
Ronaldo stoically endured the indignity of riding in a lesser vehicle early this week, as he and his Portugal teammates paraded the Euro 2016 trophy through the streets of Lisbon in an open-top bus.
Having only progressed from the group stages of Euro 2016 as a third-placed team with three draws and no wins, Portugal came good in the knockout stages.
Ronaldo suffered a similarly slow start to the tournament, but soon turned up the wick, eventually netting three goals to level Michel Platini’s record of nine at European Championships.
However, when Portugal disposed of Wales in the semifinals claims surfaced that ‘CR7’ “didn’t really do anything” and, through no fault of his own, the same must be said of the final.
Hopefully a first major international trophy — and, of course, the Bugatti Veyron now sitting in his garage — will mean we’ve seen the last of Ronaldo blaming his teammates for failure, dismissing other competitive nations as “small”, and throwing journalists’ microphones into rivers. BAYERN Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso has told ESPN FC that Portugal’s win at Euro 2016 has seen Ronaldo fulfil all his ambitions. Alonso congratulated his former Real Madrid teammate for adding international honours to his extensive haul of club silverware.
“I'm very pleased for him,” Alonso told ESPN FC. “We know that he’s pretty ambitious, and he had already achieved everything possible at club level.
“You could see how much it meant to him to win a title for his country, the first one ever for Portugal. I’m really glad that he’s got this trophy in his cabinet. It was a big moment for himself and for Portugal as a whole. He enjoyed it.”
Former Spain midfielder Alonso, who has won the 2010 World Cup as well as Euro 2008 and 2012, was in the unusual position of watching the tournament at home.
For the first time since 2002, La Roja had to make do without his services at a major competition, following his international retirement in 2014.
“It was a new experience to watch it on TV,” he said. “All the games were very tight, very intense and showed that you cannot take anything for granted. Watching them also made me realise just how difficult it was to achieve three titles in a row with Spain.”
Alonso could only watch as Vicente del Bosque’s side suffered an early exit against Italy in the round of 16.
“Of course it was a big disappointment for everyone, but against a very good side like Italy, it can happen,” he said. “One bad game at the Euros or World Cup, and you’re out. Now Spain has to look forward, and for new manager. Hopefully, they will make the right choice.“—