Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates with Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is, unquestionably, one of the world’s best players. On pure talent, he’s Portugal’s best and most important player by far. But in Euro 2016, one factor trumped all that talent: Ronaldo’s leadership.

It’s not something that’s often been talked about over the years. At Manchester United he was too young and on a team too full of veterans to be a leader. Real Madrid has often been a team more about overwhelming with talent at every position, so leadership takes a back seat to everything else.

It’s easy, then, to overlook the idea of Ronaldo as a leader, but he’s reached the point in his career when leadership often becomes a major factor. He’s 31 years old now, his legs are slowing and other things have to come up to fill in the gaps. Given his public reputation and perception of being a selfish player, he’s slowly been becoming anything but -- someone who looks to lead and inspire his team through more than just his actions on the pitch.

That leadership was on full display at Euro 2016. Even when Ronaldo wasn’t playing at his best, he was constantly directing, encouraging and pushing his teammates to the best performances that he could. He did everything he could to inspire his teammates. Against Poland, Ronaldo told Joao Moutinho to take one of Portugal’s penalties in the shootout because he knew Moutinho would make it. 

On Sunday in the Euro 2016 final, he told Eder that he knew Eder would score the winning goal. For the "but he’s so selfish" crowd, this wasn't Ronaldo tooting his own horn by telling us about those words. His pep talk for Moutinho was revealed by a video clip of their talk that came out after the match. Eder told the media what Ronaldo told him during the celebration after their triumph.

And what about that final? Ronaldo had to leave it just 25 minutes into the match after almost 20 minutes of struggling to push his way through a knee injury. His teammates saw what this game meant to him and how agonizing it was to leave, so they pushed through to a victorious performance as much for him as it was for themselves. There are not many players who could inspire such a response, but Ronaldo did.

But that’s not where Ronaldo’s story ended for the final. As soon as Portugal’s doctors cleared him, he was back out on the bench, talking to his teammates, talking to his manager, giving ideas and hope and firing everyone up before extra time started. He spent a lot of his time on the touchline right next to Fernando Santos, giving instructions and advice to his teammates on the pitch right alongside his manager.

Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo winners -Euro 2016.

Portugal, 1-0 winners after extra time against hosts France in the UEFA EURO 2016 final, are the tenth country to have captured the Henri Delaunay Cup.

Portugal are the tenth different nation to win the UEFA European Championship, joining six other countries in having lifted the Henri Delaunay Cup once.

Portugal – who had lost the 2004 final to Greece on home soil – beat hosts France 1-0 in Saint-Denis on Sunday for their first ever major tournament triumph, Éder scoring in the second period of extra time. Greece, Denmark, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Italy and the Soviet Union also have one EURO title to their name.

Portugal celebrates the first-ever major title on a night of high drama on the outskirts of Paris. The tension reached culmination pitch early on, starting with Ronaldo’s injury, and continued through a lively, albeit fruitless, second half and beyond. Eder’s unlikely heroics finally ended the deadlock in extra time, and France lacked the energy, guile and quality to solve the puzzle that was Portugal’s determined defense.                                                                     

The Euro 2016 final came down to France and Portugal, and Portugal walked away with one epic win, even after Cristiano Ronaldo was forced to sit out of most of the game. After the game ended, fans went nuts over the winning team of Euro 2016. See their excited tweets now!

Beyond Ronaldo’s up and down form, there were positive signs for the Iberians. Pepe’s near-flawless performance Thursday night will encourage manager Fernando Santos that Portugal can repel the likes of a Belgium — assuming they get past a Welsh side that can seemingly do no wrong at the moment. And Nani and Sanches are in good enough form to salvage a result against lesser opponents.

What’s clear, however, is that this Portuguese side isn’t good enough to win a final without Ronaldo showing up like he has at certain moments throughout this tournament.His detractors will say he’s lost confidence. Those who have watched him know he’s suffered a bit of misfortune.

His international reputation won’t be scarred by Thursday night’s performance.And like always, Ronaldo’s always looking ahead to the next time he can be front and centre.

Gareth Bale was full of praise for Cristiano Ronaldo.

  The striker opened the scoring for his nation as they advanced into the final, and his club team-mate could not help but praise his performance after the match

Gareth Bale hailed Real Madrid colleague Cristiano Ronaldo as a "natural goalscorer" after he netted in Portugal's 2-0 Euro 2016 semi-final win overWales.

The showdown between the two Madrid heavyweights dominated the pre-match headlines and it was Ronaldo who shone brightest.

His powerful 50th-minute header saw him equal Michel Platini's record of nine European Championship goals, with Ronaldo then turning provider – albeit perhaps inadvertently – for Nani's goal three minutes later.

And Bale told ITV of his club-mate: "Obviously he's a natural goalscorer and he scored yet again.

"But as I said it's not about them, it's about us. We'll pick ourselves up. We're a proud bunch. We have to be proud of what we've achieved in this tournament.

"We want to thank all the fans obviously – the support we have had is absolutely incredible."

Wales were at least the equal of their opponents in a tight first half and Bale reflected on what he felt were fine margins that decided the outcome.

"They got their first goal and were lucky on the second," he added. "We tried our hardest to get back into the game and fought until the last second.

"We gave everything. We have no regrets."

Fernando Santos' side will meet hosts France or world champions Germany in the final.

Cristiano Ronaldo squares off against Gareth Bale in Portugal v Wales (VIDEO).

       

The world's two most expensive players, who line up alongside each other at Real Madrid, will go head to head when Bale's Wales meet Ronaldo's Portugal in their Euro 2016 semi-final in Lyon on Thursday morning (AEST).

          In playing terms, both are the leaders of their teams, but they take very different approaches to their role.

While Bale is widely acclaimed as an inspiration for his national team, Ronaldo's influence on Portugal is the subject of debate.

          "Cristiano has worked for the squad and it's only the squad which matters here," said midfielder Andre Gomes.

"Maybe people were expecting more goals, [but] he has made a huge contribution to the national team and it's not the moment to start questioning a player."

           Coach Fernando Santos added Ronaldo has sacrificed himself for the team.

Even so, the 31-year-old three-times world player of the year has often struggled with an image problem, especially when he said two years ago that Portugal needed "two or three Cristiano Ronaldos".

He insists on taking every free kick within – and often beyond – shooting distance, prompting suggestions he is selfish, and is regularly captured on television cameras remonstrating angrily with his teammates.

         Earlier in the tournament Ronaldo threw a reporter's microphone into a lake when he was asked a question during a team walk, and was criticised for disparaging remarks he made about Iceland after Portugal drew 1-1 with the rank outsiders in their opening match.

Bale, in comparison, looks relaxed and is not afraid to stir up some controversy, such as when he said no England players would get into the Wales side, adding the Welsh were more passionate than their larger neighbours.

       Television images tend to show him encouraging his teammates rather than gesticulating angrily and complaining.

"They are obviously different types of people and different characters," said Wales manager Chris Coleman. "Whatever Bale brings to the table for us, that's him. He's not manufactured. He doesn't try to be something he's not.

        "Gareth is clearly a special player. For us he is special, not just because of his talent but what he represents when he plays for Wales.

"He appreciates what he has around him and they appreciate they have a super talent. It's a good blend."

        Cristiano Ronaldo is immaculately groomed, makes a point of posing for the cameras when he scores, is often captured scowling at his colleagues and recently launched his own men's fragrance called Legacy.

       Gareth Bale is constantly encouraging his teammates and is described by his manager as "the most down-to-earth boy you could meet".

Portugal vs Wales & Ronaldo vs Bale.

Wales and Portugal are set to contest the first Euro 2016 semi-final at Stade de Lyon in France on Wednesday evening.

All eyes will be on Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo as the Real Madrid superstars go head-to-head, and with a spot in the final at stake, it has all the ingredients for a blockbuster clash.

Chris Coleman's side, who have reached the semi-final of a major tournament for the first time in their history, come up against a Portugal team yet to win in normal time this summer.

Ahead of the big match in Lyon, Sportsmail takes a glance at where it could be won or lost.

When Portugal and Wales collide in the semi-finals of the European Championship on Wednesday night, the tie will pitch two of the biggest stars in world football against one another.

But not only are they among the biggest names on the globe, both Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo have spent the past three years slugging it out to be the big dog at Real Madrid.

And a man who has managed the pair of them together admits that they are so competitive that they always wanted to beat each other in training.