It seems as if the Cristiano Ronaldo PR machine is full flow with the latest angle pitching his Euros from a decade ago on a par with the World Cup.Bold, would be the conclusion of many, and you'd question whether he would've taken that stance prior to the World Cup kicking off.For context, there's no way winning a continental title is more impressive than a global one when it comes to the international stage. The likes of Brazil and Argentina don't have to negotiate their European counterparts to win the Copa America.Similarly the likes of Spain, Portugal, England and France don't need to worry about the South American heavyweights to win a Euros. With every World Cup failure Portugal's Euro 2016 victory has taken on even more importance for Ronaldo.‌Once upon a time it was the difference maker between him and rival Lionel Messi. The Argentine's continued failures with his country were seen as a one up in the never ending GOAT debate.That was until 2021, when Messi would win the Copa America with Argentina. Little did we know that La Albiceleste would embark on such an era of dominance. The World Cup was the one title to elude both Ronaldo and Messi until we headed to Qatar four years ago.And whilst Ronaldo's efforts were ended in surprise fashion by Morocco, Messi would climb Mount Everest and claim international football's ultimate prize. The Argentine was named the best player at a World Cup for a second time - and they remain firmly in contention to win it again.And so Ronaldo - in typical fashion - was firmly on the defensive with the 41-year-old playing in a World Cup for the sixth and final time. His best effort still being the semi-final his country reached back in 2006.‌But his success of 10 years ago is all part of the narrative Ronaldo is now spinning to ensure his legacy remains at its peak despite another shortcoming.He said: “I’ve won three titles for Portugal; before Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal hadn’t won a single title. The biggest title the national team has ever won was in 2016, the European Championship, ‌which, to be honest, is worth winning a World Cup.”Best not remind Ronaldo that Portugal in 2016 failed to win a single group game, finishing third, and only qualifying because UEFA expanded the tournament and made it harder to get knocked out, than to qualify.‌The irony really is that since 2016, Portuguese football has continued to produce quality in abundance and the squad of today is in a different stratosphere to the one that claimed the Euros. Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Joao Felix, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha and Nuno Mendes and Diogo Costa have all come into the picture.If anything 2016 could've - and maybe should've - served as a catalyst for the type of dominance that Messi and Argentina have enjoyed since 2021.Instead Portugal have failed to make it past the quarter-finals in their last five major tournaments. There is no getting round the fact they have underdelivered time and time again. So was Ronaldo the problem? Well, some suggest so, especially in the more recent tournaments.‌Roberto Martinez copped it for continuing to stick by his 41-year-old frontman, whose productivity was questionable at best. He had the same amount of chances as Erling Haaland at the World Cup - but scored four fewer goals. Which, given his brand and occupation in the latter years is simply scoring goals, paints a grim picture.He only created one chance for a team-mate in his five games and 366 players touched the ball more times than the Al Nassr man at the World Cup, raising questions about his level of involvement.There's no doubt one of the great subplots to this World Cup, frustratingly so for Ronaldo and his followers, has been whether the game's two giants could still be as effective in their late 30s and early 40s.‌The answer has been a resounding yes and no in equal measure. A question worth holding back for now, but pondering over for a few weeks, is whether Ronaldo thinks a Euros is as good as two World Cups, with Messi and his band of brothers looking to truly end a debate that has, realistically, been done for years.Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Content cannot be displayed without consent