Behold how they stared with so much admiration. See how they held him with so much pride. At 40, Cristiano Ronaldo may no longer be the freak of an athlete he once was, but he remains every bit the clutch, influential player.

His name is forever etched in the footballing history of Portugal, a nation that had never reached a final before his emergence. Blessed with legendary players like Eusebio, the 1965 Ballon d’Or winner, Mario Coluna, Jose Aguas, Antonio Simoes, and Victor Damas, none of whom were able to lead them to the pinnacle of the game.

Cristiano, in his first tournament appearance, played a pivotal part in leading them to their first-ever final, where they were met with heartbreak against the host nation, Greece, in the 2004 European Championship.

Since then, he grew from a teenager into a man, one of the best to ever grace the round leather game. Became the leader of the team at a young age and went on to lead them to unimaginable heights, starting from the European Championship success in 2016 to the Nations League glory three years later, and now their second silverware in the latter.

From start to finish, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was at the heart of things for Portugal as they became the first nation to win multiple UEFA Nations League titles, following their penalty shootout victory over Spain on Sunday.

It was a final four where Portugal was not much favored, with powerhouses like France, Spain, and hosts Germany all seemingly better positioned to lift the trophy at the expense of Roberto Martinez’s side.

However, the team, led by their influential captain Cristiano Ronaldo, defied the odds, securing their first win over Germany in 25 years to reach the semi-final, and then beating Spain for the first time in almost 15 years to clinch the title.

They became the first nation to win the UEFA Nations League more than once, overtaking both Spain and France, who had both gotten past them in the previous two editions, but finished second and third, respectively in this edition.

At the heart of Portugal's conquest was Cristiano Ronaldo, a player whom Roberto Martínez was once persuaded to drop after taking over as manager in January 2023 following a chaotic end to their FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar.

Ronaldo had been written off in many quarters before this tournament. Whispers of decline had grown louder after a subdued domestic season with Manchester United, which saw him move to the Middle East to join Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

Yet, on the biggest stage, he silenced doubters with the ruthless efficiency that has defined his career. Rewarding the Spaniard (Martinez), who kept faith in him, helping him to a second title after his managerial career, after his first with Wigan Athletic in the 2013 Emirates FA Cup.

“I'm very happy for him.' Ronaldo said, taking about Roberto Martinez after beating Spain, 'because he's Spanish and he gave his all for our country. We've won a title before, but this is our motivation, this is our appetite.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s contributions extended far beyond his goal in the final. His presence was crucial in every round of the tournament he featured in, starting from the first game to the final, where he was only substituted with full-time approaching against Spain.

How Cristiano Ronaldo Led Portugal To UNL Glory

Portugal kicked off their campaign in Group A, where last time beaten finalist Croatia is their main rival, with Scotland and Poland making up the other members of the group.

Although very much the favourite to progress, the doubleheader with Croatia was always going to be decisive, and Ronaldo scored the eventual winner in their first meeting in Round 1, as Portugal ran out 2-1 winners.

Round 2 was much more demanding as they had to come from behind to beat Scotland, who took an early lead through Scott McTominay. Bruno Fernandes restored after the break and Ronaldo again came up with the match winner two minutes from the end of normal time.

The 3-1 win over Poland in Round 3 saw them take a 2-0 lead, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the second in the 37th minute, just 10 minutes after Bernardo Silva's opener. Piotr Zielinski pulled one back for Poland, but a Jan Bednarek own goal killed off any hopes of a comeback.

Portugal were held to a goalless draw in Glasgow in Round 4, but the goals returned in Round 5, as Cristiano Ronaldo scored the second and fifth in a 5-1 victory over Poland. This commanding win left them needing only to avoid defeat in their final game against Croatia to reach the finals as group winners.

They managed to do just that, as goals from Josko Gvardiol and João Felix canceled each other out in a 1-1 draw. The match was played without Ronaldo, who had to return to his club Al Nassr due to injury.

Cristiano Ronaldo Taking Over the Finals

Portugal had their best chance of reaching the final thanks to a favourable draw that saw them avoid both France and Spain. Although Italy and Germany presented tough challenges, a clash with either was seen as fairer compared to the top two.

First, however, they had to take care of business against Denmark, their quarter-final opponents. Denmark won the first leg 1-0 in Copenhagen and could have claimed a larger margin of victory as they made Roberto Martinez's side second best all night.

However, a much-improved Portugal turned up in the second leg, although they needed extra time to finally blow away their stubborn opponents. Cristiano Ronaldo missed a first-half penalty but eventually found the net to give them a 2-1 lead on the night.

It finished 3-2 at full-time, with substitute Francisco Trincao scoring a crucial late goal to force extra time, where he struck again, and fellow substitute Goncalo Ramos added another to secure a 5-3 aggregate victory for the 2019 winners.

The semi-final meeting with Germany was a tricky encounter for more than one reason. On paper, the Germans boasted the stronger side, while they also had the advantage of playing at home and an impressive head-to-head record.

Portugal had not beaten Germany since a 3-0 win courtesy of a Sergio Conceicao hat-trick in Euro 2000 and had not won the fixture away from home in 40 years.

Falling behind a controversial goal from Florian Wirtz after the restart, Portugal responded with determination. Substitute Chico Conceicao scored just three minutes after the hour mark to level matters, before Cristiano Ronaldo scored five minutes later to secure the win and seal Portugal’s place in the final.

Facing Spain was a much more difficult task. Luis De La Fuentes' charge has not lost a match in more than a year and has remained unbeaten in competitive matches in more than two years.

Since the appointment of the former Deportivo Alaves boss, only Scotland has beaten Spain in a competitive match — a 2-0 loss courtesy of Scott McTominay's brace in European championship qualifiers back in March 2023.

The Spaniards looked on course to add another silverware when they took a deserved lead through Martin Zubimendi at the end of the first quarter. Nuno Mendes fired back almost immediately to draw Portugal level.

Spain retook the lead just before half-time through Mikel Oyarzabal, but Cristiano Ronaldo, again, came clutch for his country, scoring in the 61st minute to restore parity. He was eventually taken off due to a minor injury later in the game, which went to extra time and then penalties, where Portugal won to clinch the title.

“I felt the injury since the warm-up, it’s been bothering me for a while. But for Portugal, if I had to break my leg, I would. It’s a title, I had to play and gave everything.” Said Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Aging And Greatness 

At 40, Ronaldo is the top scorer in UEFA Nations League A with eight goals, and only Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres (9) has more than him across all four leagues.

He remains a sight to marvel at for fans across the world, who see him as a chance to witness history unfold with a player who refuses to fade quietly, whose final chapters continue to burn as brightly as the brilliance of those that came before.

With 139 international goals for Portugal, he keeps extending his record as the all-time leading international goalscorer. On top of that, his career tally now stands at 938 goals, 62 away from an extraordinary milestone of 1,000.

In his hands, aging and greatness, two words that rarely share the same sentence, especially in football, coexist. And as he hoisted the trophy, beaming amid the Munich night, he reminded us all: for those who dare to dream and fight, time itself can be conquered.