Cristiano Ronaldo: This is the greatest moment of my career

Ronaldo’s appearance at Stade de France was marred by an early injury, which saw him break down in tears and stretchered off the pitch, but he was active on the Portugal bench, continually barking orders to his teammates before joining them to celebrate a first-ever major trophy.

Is this the greatest night of your career, he was asked by ITV after the match.

"I agree," came the reply. "I always say I've won everything in terms of clubs and individual.

"But I've never won anything with the Portugal national team. But I win tonight - I'm so happy. It's a moment I can't describe, I'm just so happy...

"It's something unbelievable in my career - something I deserve...

"Nobody believed in Portugal - but we win."

“We made ​​history. It was something we’d been looking for since 2004,” he added.

“I asked God to give me a chance because we deserved it. I always thought we had what it took and strategy of our coach to win.

“It’s one of the happiest moments of my career. I have to thank everyone, my team-mates, the Coach and Portuguese [fans]. It’s an unforgettable moment.”