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Cristiano Ronaldo: "UEFA Euro title is one of the happiest moments of my career"

The Portuguese missed most of the Final with a knee injury but still raised the trophy.

Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Portugal lifted their first major trophy after beating France 1-0 late in extra-time. They overcame Cristiano Ronaldo's knee injury, which forced the star to leave the pitch after with just 10 minutes gone. The Real Madrid attacker spoke to the media after celebrating the title with his teammates.

"I'm so happy. This is something I have wanted for a long time now, ever since 2004. The Portuguese people deserve this, our players deserve this. Unfortunately, things didn't go well for me but I've always believed in these players. They have quality and ability.

This is one of the happiest moments of my career. I've always said I wanted to win a trophy with the national team and make history. I'd like to thank my team-mates, our coach, our wider team at this EURO, and the Portuguese people cheering us on. This is a unique moment for me. It's unforgettable," he said.

Pepe also had something to say after being named the UEFA Euro 2016 Final Player of the Match.

"This was tough as we lost our main man and we had all our hopes on him because he can score a goal at any moment. When he couldn't go on, I tried to tell our team-mates that we had to win it for him. The coach set us up very well and the subs came on at the right time too. We poured blood, sweat and tears into this. We've written a brilliant page in the book of Portuguese football history."

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