Football

Euro 2012: It was impossible to mark Ronaldo, says Van der Wiel

Goal.com | Updated Jun 18, 2012 at 01:32pm IST

Kharkiv: Netherlands defender Gregory van der Wiel has admitted that he found it "impossible" to mark Cristiano Ronaldo on Sunday and put his failure to make a positive impact at the tournament down to his team-mates.

The Ajax right-back never really got close to the Seleccao star, who scored twice as Paulo Bento's men dashed the Dutch hopes of progressing to the knockout stages.

"I had played against Ronaldo three times before, so it was no surprise what he did today," Van der Wiel said. "But it really is impossible to mark him when he plays this well.

It was impossible to mark Ronaldo: Van der Wiel

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (right) and Netherlands' Gregory van der Wiel in action during their Euro match.

"The truth is that I didn't have a good tournament, I have to admit, but it's not all my fault. I could never play my attacking style. I was unmarked several times but my team-mates never passed the ball to me."

The 24-year-old Van der Wiel, who has been capped 35 times by the Oranje, is a product of Ajax's youth academy.

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Cristiano Ronaldo

Posted on Jun 18, 2013 at 06:20PM IST
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team. In addition, his co ...

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