Portugal midfielder Moutinho: Ronaldo is the 'complete' player

Posted Thursday, June 21, 2012 by Goal.com

The Real Madrid star came under fire after his lacklustre displays against Germany and Denmark but he stepped up to the mark when the Seleccao needed him most, against Netherlands

Joao Moutinho has revealed that he and his Portugal team-mates feel blessed to have a "complete" a player as Cristiano Ronaldo within their ranks.

The Real Madrid attacker came in for some stinging criticism after a couple of ineffective displays in his country's opening two fixtures in Euro 2012 Group B, against Germany and Denmark, but he was back at his brilliant best in the crunch clash with Netherlands, scoring twice as the Seleccao booked their place in the knockout stages.

Moutinho, speaking ahead of Thursday's quarter-final showdown with Czech Republic, insisted that Paulo Bento's men never had any doubts that their illustrious colleague, arguing that you cannot keep a good man down.

"He's a complete player," the midfielder declared. "I don't think I could show up any weaknesses. He's good at heading, with his feet and he's very quick.

"He's a great player, and one that benefits the whole team. We're delighted to have this player in our squad."

Portugal are now being talked of as serious title contenders, having come through the tournament's supposed 'Group of Death', but Moutinho insists that the only thing that matters now is how they perform against the Czechs in Warsaw on Thursday night.

"We're only thinking about the quarter-final," he explained. "We won't look back. We're exclusively focused on tomorrow's game, which will be very, very difficult against an opponent with a great attitude.

"I think we'll face a highly-motivated and strong opponent, who are very organised when they counterattack. They'll do everything they can to progress instead of us."