Ronaldo looks to secure his legend

There might be 22 players on the pitch when Portugal take on Spain tonight but there is only one man all of Donetsk appears to be talking about — Cristiano Ronaldo.

With no Lionel Messi at European football’s showpiece tournament, Ronaldo is the man of the moment, the one true superstar to be strutting his stuff at Euro 2012, and the locals are entranced by him.

Yesterday in Donetsk, one local journalist asked Paulo Bento whether the Portuguese coach thought it would be to his side’s advantage that 95% of Ukrainian women were obsessed with Ronaldo. Bento joked in response that he expected the remaining 5% to be won over tonight.

Whether the rest of us swoon at the Real Madrid star remains to be seen, but there is no doubt he is making his mark on a major tournament for the first time. But which Ronaldo will turn up tonight?

“We have to ‘deactivate’ him,” said Vicente del Bosque, rather clinically. “We saw him in the last World Cup, and we knew how to play against him and how to stop him, and that’s what we will try tomorrow.”

Back then, Ronaldo cut a mostly disconsolate figure as the hated Jabulani ball played havoc with his ability to score from long range. One memory of him stands out, in the game against Brazil in Durban, when he had just hit his third successive shot miles over the bar. He stood there with hands on hips, shaking his head, wondering what he had to do. He had scored only one goal, his first for Portugal in 16 months, and it was Spain who put Portugal out of the competition.

But a 4-0 win over the newly- crowned world champions, in Lisbon a few months later, has given Portugal hope they can beat their neighbours, and Bento said: “Ronaldo is central to the dynamic of our team, and he is showing a great effort in this tournament.”

Alvaro Arbeloa, his Real Madrid team-mate, added: “It’s not easy to stop Ronaldo. He has had some really good games so far. But we know that Portugal are not only Ronaldo; there are other quality players, like Nani. We have to stop all of them, not just Cristiano.

“We all know he has been playing at a really high (level) at Euro 2012. He is very demanding but at the same time very confident so we have to try to stop him.”

Ronaldo admits he is full of confidence, as well he might be after a record-breaking season that ended with a La Liga title for his club and plaudits galore for himself. Despite losing the opening game at Euro 2012 to Germany, the Portuguese have improved as the tournament has gone on — and so has their captain.

“After a lot of sacrifice from the team, we have started to play better, and I’ve also started to play better,” he said. “We lost our first match and then won all the others. I think that shows the great mental capacity of this team, and it didn’t surprise me because I knew the goals would come. Luckily they have, and I have been able to help the team.

“Over the years, you get better at dealing with certain situations. Up to now, I’m not feeling the pressure of playing against Spain or any other team because this is part of my life. I’ve been doing this for more than 10 years and so I have become accustomed to it. I will always have responsibility, but pressure? Not much.”

Both managers will feel the pressure, with the outcome of this local derby, a place in the final and a chance to make history. Portugal want to win their first trophy, Spain could become the first side to win three major tournaments in succession, a fact acknowledged by Del Bosque.

“Yes, this is going to be a most important match — it can take us to the final,” he said. “And of course we have to take notice of Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s an excellent player and it’s logical that there’s been so much talk about him.”