Fernando Santos: 'Cristiano Ronaldo needs help at Euros'

A dejected Cristiano Ronaldo walks away after Portugal lose 4-0 to Germany in their World Cup opener on June 16, 2014.
© AFP
Portugal boss Fernando Santos calls on his squad to support star player Cristiano Ronaldo in this summer's European Championships.

Portugal boss Fernando Santos has insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo cannot lead the Iberian nation to success at Euro 2016 without the help of his teammates.

Ronaldo, 31, will enter the European Championships off the back of a 51-goal season with Real Madrid and having scored the decisive penalty in the Champions League final last month.

The attacker also has 56 goals in 125 caps for his country, but Santos has called on the Portugal squad as a whole to help Ronaldo thrive in this summer's tournament.

"Ronaldo is important for Real Madrid, but he is at least as important for Portugal, if not more," Santos told Marca. "If you have a player who scores 50 or 60 goals per season, someone who could score from out of nowhere, he is always going to be important. It's impossible to quantify how important he is.

"But not even Cristiano can do it all on his own. Nobody can win games on his own. You are always going to need your teammates' help. But there is no denying he is hugely important."

Portugal will open their Euro 2016 Group F campaign against Iceland on June 14.

Greece's Portuguese coach Fernando Santos is pictured during a group C football match between Colombia and Greece at the Mineirao Arena in Belo Horizonte during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 14, 2014
Read Next:
Santos: 'England can win Euro 2016'
>
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal00000000
2Bournemouth00000000
3Burnley00000000
4Chelsea00000000
5Crystal Palace00000000
6Everton00000000
7Hull City00000000
8Leicester CityLeicester00000000
9Liverpool00000000
10Manchester CityMan City00000000
11Manchester UnitedMan Utd00000000
12Middlesbrough00000000
13Southampton00000000
14Stoke CityStoke00000000
15Sunderland00000000
16Swansea CitySwansea00000000
17Tottenham HotspurSpurs00000000
18Watford00000000
19West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom00000000
20West Ham UnitedWest Ham00000000