00:01Nonetheless, it showed to the world Portugal was ready for the big time.
00:09Everything was supposed to come together at Euro 2004.
00:14The tournament was the first major football event on Portuguese soil.
00:18Brazilian World Cup winning coach Luis Felipe Scalari had been hired.
00:22And to the now experienced, high-achieving squad had been added a 19-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
00:33But the pieces never quite fell into place.
00:36Group stage progress was undermined by defeat to Greece.
00:40And penalties were required to dispatch England in the quarter-finals.
00:44A narrow victory over the Netherlands set up a maiden major final.
00:48But Greece again proved party-poopers, completing their staggering smash-and-grab campaign with a third consecutive 1-0 victory.
00:59There was desperation within Portugal, summed up by the tears of the young Ronaldo.
01:04And it marked the fracturing of the first golden generation.
01:15The generational shift did not reap immediate dividends.
01:19Scalari handed the reins over to Kiros in 2008.
01:23But the man who crafted the first golden generation was criticised for his tactics with the senior team.
01:29And was the focus of dressing room and rest.
01:35Paolo Bento picked up the baton, but his four-year spell in charge ended after failure to exit the group
01:41stage at the 2014 World Cup.
01:46Portugal were now one of the great mysteries of international football.
01:49In Ronaldo, they had by some margin the greatest player in Europe.
01:54And around him, the likes of Pep, Raul Mereles and João Moutinho had all proven themselves at the highest level.
02:05Just needed someone to unlock all of that potential.
02:08That someone proved to be Fernando Santos.
02:13When we were about to play Euro 2016, nobody considered us favourites.
02:17If someone said we were candidates, they were crazy.
02:21Portugal made an ignominious start to Euro 2016.
02:25Scraping through to the knockout phase as the third ranked third place side.
02:30The only country to reach the round of 16 without winning a game.
02:35We were very happy because we are on the next competition, but I'm still a bit sad because we didn't
02:42win today.
02:43And yeah, I would like to win at least one game.
02:49Croatia went narrowly beaten, then Poland pipped on penalties, making it five consecutive draws after 90 minutes.
02:57With blessed relief, a trademark Ronaldo header settled any nerves against Wales in the semi-final.
03:07Few people expected Portugal to succeed in the decider.
03:11Their opponents were regular nemesis France, and the final was in Paris.
03:16The French squad that would go on to win the next World Cup arrived having won five of their six
03:21matches.
03:22Most recently, the 2-0 dismissal of Germany.
03:28To make matters worse, after just 25 minutes, the irreplaceable Ronaldo was forced off injured.
03:34He spent the remainder of the match on the touchline, gesticulating wildly, encouraging his teammates.
03:43Despite the odds stacked against them, Portugal defended resolutely, dragging the game into extra time.
03:50Preparing the stage for substitute Eder to fire home a stunning strike against the run of play.
03:57From the touchline, a hobbled Ronaldo urged his team to victory, succumbing once again to tears at the final whistle.
04:05But this was not 2004.
04:08These were tears of joy.
04:12Portugal had finally delivered.
04:18Driven on by the relentless Ronaldo and the redoubtable Santos, Portugal backed up their Euro success with the maiden Europa
04:25Nations League title.
04:26By now, they had been topped up with the likes of Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and João Felix.
04:37After decades of falling just short, Portugal finally blossomed into a trophy-winning juggernaut.
04:44And with a conveyor belt of talent, they are in no risk of slowing down any time soon.
04:51April 22, 2018 Panther Revenue in 10th, dünyless Schotter and 25th, focus on the other three generations.
04:51On the other hand of the flag, Portugal is a very difficult one.
04:51August 25, 2020
04:52August 26, 2019
04:52August 27, 2021
04:52August 29, 2018
04:53August 28, 2020
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