Winner Takes All

Portugal’s captain needs the World Cup to complete his haul of trophies

You won all the individual awards last year: World Soccer’s World Player, the Ballon d’Or, UEFA’s Best Player. Is it unfair that your team-mates don’t get the credit? Or do you think: “I’m the striker, I score the goals that win the games, that win the trophies, and I deserve the awards...” 

Well, I don’t know if the word “unfair” is the proper word. When you go to the stadium, what do you want to see?

We want to see goals… 

Right, you like to see goals. It’s always a challenge for us. We have to score goals. We have the skills, we make assists, we have to make entertainment for the fans. This is what we try to do. Maybe, sometimes, defenders can win the awards, but when the strikers score the goals, when they make people happy, they win important trophies. I have to defend my position, so please keep voting for me!

You won your first personal award back in 2008. How has the game changed since then? 

It’s kind of the same. The speed is kind of the same, in my opinion. Not a lot has changed in the game, but outside the game a lot has changed – it’s crazy...the money, everything. You know, I’m happy that I can still keep winning. It means I’m young enough and hungry enough to carry on winning trophies.

The only trophy that you have not yet won is the World Cup. Is that now the most important trophy for you to win?