Germany's Mesut Ozil: I'm as ambitious as Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo

Mesut Ozil has likened himself to Cristiano Ronaldo, saying that both players are "perfectionists on the pitch."

The duo are both currently at Euro 2016 in France, with Ronaldo's Portugal safely through to the semifinals, while Ozil's Germany face Italy for a place in the last four on Saturday.

Real Madrid star Ronaldo is well-known for his commitment and application on and off the field, and Arsenal midfielder Ozil feels he also shares similar attributes.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is obviously very ambitious, but so am I," Ozil told L'Equipe. "I am a perfectionist on the pitch as well. I want to be successful with everything I do.

"During the time I played alongside Ronaldo [at Madrid], I saw that he always wanted to win everything, even on the training pitch. He is never satisfied and always wants more. He always wants more titles and there are not a lot of players with that attitude.

"Personally, I am not as hungry for goals like Ronaldo. But that's only normal. He is an attacker. For me, scoring goals and providing assists is the same. They both win you matches."

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale prepare for Lyon semi-final showdown

Cristiano Ronaldo must be beginning to wonder if Gareth Bale is his shadow.

He transforms himself from winger to marauding goalscorer. Bale follows. He goes to Real Madrid as the most expensive player in football history. Bale follows for an even bigger fee. He inspires Portugal to the semi-finals of Euro 2016. Bale follows with Wales. 

It all means a semi-final date in Lyon on Wednesday that ostensibly might be a clash between Wales and Belgium but will, in fact, be widely billed as a showdown between Real Madrid’s two biggest Galacticos. 

RONALDO: FOOTBALL FEELS ‘ABANDONED’ BY LIONEL MESSI’S RETIREMENT

Brazilian footballing legend Ronaldo believes Lionel Messi’s decision to retire from international football has left football “feeling abandoned.”

Such is the admiration of Messi’s talent, Ronaldo has set aside the rivalry between Brazil and Argentina to express hope that the Barcelona forward reverses his decision

Argentina’s defeat to Chile in the Copa America final on Sunday led to Messi’s announcement. “It was the thing I wanted the most, but I couldn’t get it, so I think it’s over,” he said.

But Ronaldo, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994 and 2002, is among a mass of supporters asking the 29-year-old to do a u-turn.

"It is an extremely personal choice of Messi and we have to respect," Ronaldo told Chinese news outlet Xinhua News.

"We all feel abandoned by Messi, and hope he can change his decision."

Messi, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has played in four major finals, including the 2014 World Cup against Germany, but lost them all.

His only major prize on the international stage came at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing when Argentina won gold

Cristiano Ronaldo: My Portugal 'dream' is getting closer after Poland win

Cristiano Ronaldo moved closer to his "dream" of finally landing Portugal a major international title after squeezing past Poland 5-3 on penalties in the first Euro 2016 quarter-final in Marseille on Thursday night.

Ronaldo endured a frustrating night in front of goal in his quest to match Michel Platini's record of nine Euros finals goals. Portugal drew 1-1 with Poland at the end of 120 minutes of play.

However, Ronaldo netted from the spot in the shootout to edge towards a crowning glory for what he described as an already "privileged" career, having won three Champions League titles and three World Player of the Year awards.

The dream is getting closer and anything can happen now. I'm not missing anything (in honours) and even if my career finished today, I would still feel privileged," said the Real Madrid star.

"But I've always said, and I don't hide it, that I would love to win a title with the national team. We're on the right road."

Portugal's Jose Fonte: It's not easy being Cristiano Ronaldo

Jose Fonte has told the Daily Telegraph how inspirational it is to share a dressing-room with Cristiano Ronaldo, and sympathised with the cost of the Portugal captain's fame.

Fonte has known Ronaldo since their days at Sporting Lisbon as teenagers and the pair are now set to line up for Portugal against Poland in the first quarterfinal of Euro 2016.

The Southampton defender has watched Ronaldo develop into one of the best footballers in the world, but also one of the most scrutinised.

"You can't go anywhere; everyone knows him," Fonte said. "He is recognised worldwide and attracts so many millions of people. Everyone wants a piece of him.

It's difficult. He went through the different stages of fame. Friends who knew him before this, know what a good person he is. We know what he had to do to get to where he has and it's great to see how well he has done in life. It's not an easy situation to be in.

"People think sometimes it's great to be Cristiano. Obviously it has its ups but also the downs. He deals with it in a great manner. It is a privilege to be sharing the dressing room with him. He has been an inspiration to me.

"He's proved time and time again how good he is for [Real Madrid] and he is the best goal scorer in Portugal's history. We believe in him and we just need to make sure, with him, we can achieve what we want. We want to win it and we believe we can do it

RONALDO THE ULTIMATE EXAMPLE OF FANS CHOOSING PLAYERS OVER TEAMS

The Real Madrid superstar is leading his country at the European Championships but the identity of the squad around him would appear to matter little to his army of fans

There is no I in Team – as the old saying goes – but that ceased to matter when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo emerged as the game’s chief proponents. Those two have contested an individual battle against each other for the best part of a decade with team clashes between Barcelona and Real Madrid at most a sub plot. We are living through a football age defined like no other by veneration of individuals.

Over the past 10 years football’s worldwide popularity has skyrocketed with Messi and Ronaldo at the forefront of public consciousness the world over. It is why the Ballon d’Or is now roughly equal to winning the Champions League in esteem. In years gone by, knowledgeable pundits would struggle to name three winners in a row. Now, there is a gala; football’s Oscars night. There is no missing it. That’s all down to Ronaldo and Messi, the standards they set on the field and the frenzy which has followed.

Access to games on TV has never been so broad and the time young people spend playing the FIFA video game gives them an affinity with a version of the best players that is not even real. Once upon a time the only live football a child saw would be local matches which a parent attended. That’s how their nascent loyalties were built. It doesn’t work like that anymore. It’s a big world out there and kids just getting into the game have every team and player to choose from.

Before European football went global – with the wealth and attention concentrated on a handful of clubs - fans loved players because they played for their team. That natural alignment is in the process of being subverted. Fans are drawn to teams because of the presence of certain individuals. Ronaldo, of course, is king among them

Why Cristiano Ronaldo divides opinion like no other athlete on planet

Forty-nine minutes into the Portugal vs Hungary game during the group stages, Joao Mario swung the ball in towards Cristiano Ronaldo, who was lurking in the box. Portugal were trailing Hungary 1-2 and staring at elimination.

Ronaldo had not had a good tournament thus far. He had missed a penalty. He had bungled free kicks, which he usually would have buried in his sleep. He had not scored for Portugal for over a year. Before the game, annoyed – as perhaps only he can be annoyed – at questions about his form, Ronaldo had thrown an inquisitive reporter’s microphone in to a lake. Ronaldo was under immense pressure.

The pass from Mario was over-weighted. It dropped awkwardly between Ronaldo’s feet. Lots of players would have struggled to get a decent touch on it. Ronaldo adjusted his body, held his balance and, using the heel of his right foot, flicked the ball in to the back of the net. It was audacious. It was breathtaking. It was the sort of thing that typifies Ronaldo.

Read | Euro 2016: Ronaldo vs Lewandowski as Portugal face Poland for semis berth

A few days before this goal, we saw the other sort of thing that typifies Ronaldo. After debutants Iceland drew 1-1 with mighty Portugal, Ronaldo said: “I thought they’d won the Euros the way they celebrated at the end. It was unbelievable. When they don’t try to play and just defend, defend, defend, this in my opinion shows a small mentality and they are not going to do anything in the competition.”

The remark was boorish, mean and in appalling taste. (Also not particularly clairvoyant given that Iceland are in the quarterfinals already.) The Iceland defender Kari Arnason, knowing full well exactly what riles Ronaldo the most, had the following riposte to make. “Obviously we’re not going to create as many chances as a fantastic team like Portugal but his comments are the reason why Messi is always going to be one step ahead of him. You wouldn’t expect Messi to say that