Termed as the dark horses of the tournament, Portugal exceeded expectations to not only reach the final of UEFA Euro 2016 but also win it against all odds. Nobody thought they would, they had nobody's backing but in the end, none of it mattered. Probably a team that attracted the most amount of hate from everybody who was not Portuguese or a neutral venue based supporter of Portugal, it was heartening to see the club lift the trophy. It was even more heartening to see the passion that their star and captain undoubtedly generated which seemed infectious and powered up the whole team to finally provide a strong defensive opposition to the fluctuating attacks France plagued them with.
The stars of the team, if the tournament is taken as a comprehensive whole, were Renato Sanchez and Ricardo Quaresma who made their presence felt in all the matches that Portugal played. In an interview to an online Portuguese journal O Jogo (translated to: The Game), Quaresma has made some startling announcements which uncover the humour and light-heartedness that is clearly engulfing the Portuguese national team.
Also read: Ricardo Quaresma: The unlucky talent
Out of nowhere, the 32-year-old was asked how it felt to finally win a major international tournament for his country with nothing but sheer grit and determination to drag them to the top, Quaresma answered that the only practical thing to do would be to sell his gold medal and make use of the money that comes out of the deal. “Medalha? Se for de ouro vou vendê-la,” he said which roughly translates to “If the medal is really gold, I will sell it.”
And rest assured people will be bidding big to lay their hands on an actual lEuropean Championship medal. So what if the majority of Portugal remains shrouded in economic backwardness?
Quaresma went back in touch with his serious side when he was asked about Ronaldo’s injury. “Even with the injury, he never stopped. He always supported the team and that's why I say he is not only my friend, but the only person I admire in football, I admire the strength he has,” he said.
We wish Quaresma good luck in his endeavours to get rid of his gold medal, which we are sure he doesn’t want to lose ever.
