Portugal beat France to win Euro 2016 final with Éder’s extra-time goal

Portugal beat France to win Euro 2016 final with Éder’s extra-time goal 

Portugal 1 France 0

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team-mates celebrate with the European Championship trophy after their 1-0 win against France

he substitute Éder won the European Championship for Portugal with a brilliant goal after Cristiano Ronaldo went off injured in the first half

In the end, Cristiano Ronaldo had his hands on the trophy even if it was not the way the ultimate showman had intended. Portugal, the team that finished third in their group, had found a way even on a night when their greatest footballer was taken off on a stretcher. The players of France were on their knees and suddenly it was a sunrise of a smile on Ronaldo’s face, in stark contrast to the devastation that had been seen earlier in the night.

Has any player been through as many contrasting emotions in the space of a major final? Ronaldo was in tears when he left the pitch with his damaged knee in the first half. He had tried desperately to carry on and when he finally accepted it was futile it felt like a grievous setback to Portugal’s hopes of denying France the outcome that would have meant so much in this city. Ronaldo looked broken. The final was deprived of its main attraction and at that stage it was tempting to wonder whether his team-mates truly believed they could cope.

Portugal subsequently played like a team affronted by the suggestion they might be overly reliant on one man. They gave everything to keep out France during the long passages when the host nation put them under pressure.

Their sense of adventure grew as the game wore on and, ultimately, Éder’s decisive goal in the second period of extra time won a test of endurance. Their run of 10 successive defeats to France, stretching back to 1978, was over and Ronaldo, his leg heavily strapped, climbed the steps to collect the silverware – an excruciating low, an exhilarating high and a night like few others.

Portugal can duly reflect on their greatest ever victory, made all the more remarkable by the fact they could not beat Iceland, Hungary or Austria in the group stages. Their safety-first tactics will not appeal to everyone but nobody could dispute their competitive courage and mental toughness after the jarring challenge that meant their three-times Ballon d’Or winner was unable to influence the game in the way he would have imagined.

Fernando Santos, their wily old manager, has put together a tough, obdurate side. Their goalkeeper, Rui Patrício, had a fine night and France seldom threatened after that moment, at the end of normal time, when the substitute André-Pierre Gignac turned inside Pepe in the penalty area to leave himself with the opportunity to be a hero. Gignac scuffed his shot against a post, almost in slow motion, with the clock ticking into stoppage time. The game went into an additional 30 minutes and France gradually ran out of ideas.

Portugal might also reflect they were fortunate earlier that Antoine Griezmann misdirected his header with another of the game’s few clear opportunities. At times, sans Ronaldo, it seemed like they did not entirely believe in their own ability to get behind the French defence and that conservatism certainly suffocated parts of the games as a spectacle.

There were signs, however, from the 70th minute onwards that they were willing to play with more adventure. Raphaël Guerreiro, Portugal’s left-back, struck the crossbar with a free-kick in extra time –even if it should have been a foul the other way – and a couple of minutes later, the ball was at the feet of Éder, 25 yards from goal. Éder finished last season on loan at Lille and his brief time at Swansea City, having signed for £5m from Braga last summer, can probably be encapsulated by the South Wales Echo describing him as “one of the most disappointing transfer flops” in the club’s history. His shot was struck with power and precision, arrowing its way into the bottom right-hand corner of Hugo Lloris’s net. Portugal had their breakthrough and it seemed like every single member of their entourage was on the pitch to celebrate.

For France, it was a galling way to end the tournament, but the truth for Didier Deschamps and his players is that they did not show enough wit and creativity around the penalty area. Olivier Giroud had one of his frustrating nights, Griezmann faded after an encouraging start and it was strange that Deschamps decided to take off Dimitri Payet in the 57th minute when the West Ham player had been troubling his opponents. Maybe the enormity of the occasion was weighing on French minds, or perhaps it worked against them that they had a day fewer than Portugal to prepare. Whatever the truth, they will be left to contemplate why they were unable to take advantage of Ronaldo’s misfortune.

The injury occurred after eight minutes when Payet’s knee followed through, at speed, into the side of Ronaldo’s left leg and there was not a single moment from that point onwards when the Real Madrid player looked pain-free.

Nine minutes later he was down again, signalling for help, before being taken off for a second round of treatment. This being Ronaldo, there was a desperate attempt to see how far his powers could stretch, but it always seemed unrealistic when he made one last attempt to run it off. Ronaldo finally conceded defeat in the 25th minute and collapsed to the ground for the third occasion.

The ovation as he was carried off suggested the crowd recognised genuine greatness. His team-mates, however, seemed intent on making sure his absence was not the decisive factor.

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Security for Euro 2016 final in Paris

High standard' Security for Euro 2016 final in Paris 
 
PARIS -- French law enforcement authorities on Saturday pledged "extremely high" security in Paris for Sunday's European Championship final, with thousands of police patrolling as hundreds of thousands of fans mass in the French capital for the match.
Security forces have three key venues to protect when France plays Portugal: the Stade de France stadium hosting the final -- outside of which three suicide bombers blew themselves up last year, the 92,000-capacity fan zone in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, and the Champs-Elysees boulevard, which will likely be swamped with fans after the match.
Mathias Vicherat, the Paris Mayor's chief of staff, said some 1,900 police and other security officers would patrol the fan zone, while the city's police chief, Michel Cadot, said 3,400 officers would patrol the Champs-Elysees, some of them redeployed from the stadium and fan zone after the final kicks off.
"We have the extremely favorable ratio of one officer for fewer than 50 spectators" in the fenced-off fan area where supporters can watch the match on a giant screen, Vicherat said. "So it is an extremely high standard."
Security forces have already successfully protected a total of 11 matches at the Stade de France and Paris stadium the Parc des Princes, including the tournament's opening match, but the final is expected to draw the biggest crowds as France aim to win their third European title by beating Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.
Troops have been patrolling the streets of Paris for months in the aftermath of two deadly attacks by Islamic extremists last year. As Portugal and France fans wandered along the Champs-Elysees on Saturday they passed army trucks and submachine gun-toting troops.
Cadot said that the extreme security levels are in place because Paris is still under "a general terrorist threat."
He also ruled out using the Champs-Elysees as a venue for honouring the French team on Monday if they win the tournament, saying that the wide, tree-lined street has to be prepared for an annual military parade to mark the French national holiday of Bastille Day on July 14.
Meticulous security preparations began long before the tournament and included an exercise in March in which officials simulated an attack involving a chemical bomb at an open-air screening of a match, with thousands of spectators.
France officials have mobilised some 90,000 security agents around stadiums, fan zones and streets to keep fans safe. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has also kept his ministry's crisis room open throughout the tournament to help monitor events and coordinate responses should action be necessary.
The work has paid off so far.
On the eve of the final, tournament organiser UEFA paid tribute to the work of the French security forces in the 50 matches played in 10 host cities leading up to the final.
"We owe a great debt of thanks to the French people, to the French president, François Hollande, to the French government, the host cities, and the French police and armed forces, who have done such a marvelous job of ensuring the safety of the millions of fans who have come from all over Europe to attend this tournament," UEFA senior vice president Angel Maria Villar said Saturday.
Matches early in the June 10-July 10 tournament, most notably the 1-1 draw between England and Russia in Marseille, were marred by hooligan violence, but there have been no other major security problems at the a tournament.
"France has achieved something quite remarkable, delivering one of the world's biggest sporting events in very challenging circumstances," Villar said. "France has shown that adversity can be overcome. It has shown the world how to stand tall."

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France face Portugal in European Championship fina

 

It's Sunday, July 10, and hosts France take on Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the European Championship final.

Match of the day

- Portugal vs. France -- Saint-Denis (9 p.m. CET/3 p.m. ET on ESPN): After two years of qualifying, the European Championship enters its final stage as hosts France take on Portugal at the Stade de France. ESPN FC bloggers Tom Kundert and Jonathan Johnson say that the showdown will be an epic finale.

Three key points

1. It's tempting to conclude this final will be a typically tight, grind-it-out game. France have all the pressure of the world on them and given the way they're set up, they can afford to wait for a set piece or a Antoine Griezmann run on the break. Portugal have looked best when they've outworked the opposition and defended as a unit. It's the formula that got them past Croatia and Poland and, on paper, there's little reason for them to deviate from the script.The book has been written, bar the ending. Odds are we won't see many of these guys -- from Patrice Evra to Bacary Sagna, from Pepe to Cristiano Ronaldo -- in another major international tournament final. What you can be sure of is that every last one of those involved will want to make this count and leave nothing on the pitch. Just as they've done throughout this tournament.

2. In a tactical sense, the final is rarely the most fascinating game of a major international tournament. It's usually a tight and tense, but not particularly tactical, contest between two sides playing cautiously, waiting for the opposition to make a mistake rather than prompting it through clever strategy. Nevertheless, Sunday's final promises to be an intriguing clash between two sides, France and Portugal, who are individually interesting for very different reasons. Michael Cox takes a look at both sides.

3. While most of the football world's focus has been on the Euro 2016 final, the wheeling and dealings of transfer season are certainly going on the background. The Chinese Super League once again looks likely to be a major player in the window, with Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse joining Shandong Luneng on Saturday and Italy international Graziano Pelle also linked with a move.

Player of the day

There can only be one -- the stage is set for Ronaldo. Gab Marcotti says the 31-year-old can secure a special place in football history with a win on Sunday.

Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, summed it up perfectly, saying: "Everyone in the country will be against him, but he will thrive off that hostility, and off their fear."

Cristiano Ronaldo won't retire after Euro 2016 final 

Cristiano Ronaldo will not retire after the Euro 2016 final, regardless of the result, according to Portugal manager Fernando Santos.

It has been reported that Ronaldo may follow in the footsteps of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who retired following his nation's Copa America defeat against Chile in June. However, Santos believes that the Real Madrid forward will continue to play for his country long enough to attend at least one more European Championship.

"He'll play for another six, seven, 10 years," Santos said. "I don't know. But tomorrow won't be his final match."

Ronaldo scored one goal and assisted the other in Portugal's 2-0 semifinal win over Wales on Wednesday, but Santos has revealed that the forward's leadership skills have been just as important to the team.

"Over the past two years, he wants to be better and better," Santos said. "He's angry at himself when things don't go his way.

"But his ability to captain our team is standing out now. Everyone acknowledges it now and that's the end result of his will to improve."

Santos coached a young Ronaldo at Sporting Lisbon prior to the player's transfer to Manchester United in 2003 and has followed the player's subsequent pursuit of perfection with great interest.

"I coached him 13 or 14 years ago at Sporting, but not for very long because he played the day that the stadium [Estadio Jose Alvalade] was inaugurated, and then a bit later he went to Manchester and never came back," Santos said.

"He was amazing, very talented, and wanted to win. He's very mentally strong and he's a born winner. He wants to be the best, to be more and more perfect."

Sunday's final between Portugal and tournament hosts France kicks off at 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) in Paris.

Wales charged by UEFA over players celebrating with children on pitch

Wales have been charged by UEFA for allowing their players to bring their children onto the pitch to celebrate at Euro 2016, according to the Football Association of Wales (FAW).

Wales, who made it to the last four in France, celebrated their round-of-16 and quarterfinal victories over Northern Ireland and Belgium by bringing their kids onto the field after the full-time whistle.

UEFA said afterwards that there should be no more on-field family scenes as a stadium is "not the most safe place," and FAW Trust chief executive Neil Ward has since revealed that Wales are set to be punished by European football's governing body.

"We were disappointed," Ward is quoted as saying by Wales Online. "I think we understand security issues around all games. In fact the FAW has been charged by UEFA on that, but we put in a lot of mitigation around this because obviously it is about that future generation and that inclusivity.

"I think it was hugely popular among the people in the ground to see those young kids on the pitch. Some of those goals that were scored in front of the fans [by the kids] got as big a cheer as some of the other goals scored in the game. It was just magical to see and it again shows you the openness and togetherness of this squad.

"I think the players have blown away those myths of the modern professional player. They have shown huge courage, huge passion, leadership, friendliness and embraced the family ethic as well."

Wales advanced to the semifinals of Euro 2016 in their first major tournament since 1958, eventually being eliminated by Portugal

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 Projections give France edge vs. Portugal

After plenty of thrills, upsets, Cinderella stories (Wales! Iceland!) and complete failures (England! Spain!), we're down to two teams battling it out in Sunday's Euro 2016 final (ESPN/WatchESPN, 3 p.m. ET).
France and Portugal meet in Saint-Denis with plenty of compelling storylines. Will Cristiano Ronaldo win his first international title? Will Antoine Griezmann score a seventh Euro 2016 goal and lift Les Bleus to their second Euros win as hosts, having won on home soil back in 1984? Will Olivier Giroud be the difference-maker, or will it fall to the mega talented, new Bayern signing Renato Sanches to lift Fernando Santos' side to victory?
We crunched the numbers, SPI projections and key stats heading into the big game. Hint: It's looking good for France... on paper at least.

  

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Portugal and France can write their own script 

PARIS -- Tournament finals are the last chapter of a narrative. Unlike league football, there really is no Brooklyn Dodger-esque "wait till next year" vibe. Next year isn't next year -- it's two years from now, and, given the nature of the international game, odds are that much of each team will be different, most likely with a new manager too.

It will not be hard, then, for the two coaches involved in Sunday's final -- Portugal's Fernando Santos and France's Didier Deschamps -- to find the right psychological hooks to make their teams match-ready. The tale is largely written. But there is a chance to determine the ending, and that's a luxury you rarely get -- in sports or in life.

Both can tell their players that, while they might not have been the best team in the tournament, the fact that they're here suggests they might be the hungriest and most tough-minded. Never mind to what degree it's true; focus instead on what it means.

If games finished in the 88th minute, neither of these teams would have won a single match in the group stage. Take France's 2-0 semifinal wins vs. Germany out of the mix and the highest-ranked sides these teams have actually beaten are Romania, 22nd in the world and 2-1 losers to France, and Wales, clocking in at No. 26 and beaten 2-0 by Portugal in the last four.

Or move to another, admittedly more subjective, vantage point and ask how long in this tournament has either side spent playing great football on the front foot.

At the risk of sounding harsh, for France you might highlight a half vs. Republic of Ireland and Iceland respectively and maybe the opening minutes against Germany. For Portugal, there were flashes in the group stage and against Wales.

It's not that the rest has been poor -- well, some of it has -- but rather that the success of both teams has been more about effort, grit, teamwork and difference-making individuals stepping up, mainly Renato Sanches and Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal and Dimitri Payet and Antoine Griezmann for France.

Let's be clear: This in no way diminishes the achievement of either side. But Ronaldo's words after the Wales win -- rather than being a throwaway comment -- take on a greater significance: "It did not start as we wanted. But this is not a 100-meter sprint. It's a marathon."

Sports psychology types like to talk about "visualizing" success, and presumably managers do it too. It's safe to say neither Santos nor Deschamps visualized they'd get this far with their particular setup.

Or, in the case of Deschamps, several setups. The French manager has made tactical or personnel adjustments in every game, except for the Iceland match, where he was 4-0 up at half-time. Just four of his starters in the tournament opener against Romania -- Hugo Lloris, Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny and Patrice Evra -- have retained their place throughout the tournament.

It's a similar story with Santos. Five of the 11 who started in the opener against Iceland likely won't be starting against France; Ronaldo, Nani and goalkeeper Rui Patricio are the only ones to have been named in the starting lineup for every match.

Would both managers have made so many changes if everything had been going swimmingly?

Would they heck.

Both have had the humility to place their trust in guys who were either on the fringes or not even professionals a year ago.

Payet was a 29-year-old who could not gain the trust of successive France managers. Indeed, before this tournament he had played 90 minutes just twice for Les Bleus. Sanches had played one minute of top-flight football before last November. It's fair to say that, without these players, neither side would be in the final.

Both teams have endured periods in which they dominated and created plenty of chances only for their finishers -- Olivier Giroud and Ronaldo -- to let them down. But both persevered and, while it was a bit of a no-brainer for Santos to stick with Ronaldo, the same can't be said for Deschamps: He did have other options, from Andre-Pierre Signac to Anthony Martial to Kingsley Coman.

Both have also had games in which they played poorly and an individual star went supernova to save them: usually Griezmann or Payet for France, Ronaldo or Sanches for Portugal.

Both have put in sterling defensive performances at different times, often led by unsung veterans: Pepe and Laurent Koscielny come to mind.

Both have stared disaster in the eye. In the round of 16, France went a goal down to Ireland and the Lyon crowd was getting restless, whereas Portugal fell behind three separate times to Hungary in the final round of group games and lived to tell the tale.

France don't just have home support; they are the more gifted side from top to bottom, blessed with a range of solutions, especially in attack. Historical precedent, if you buy into it, plays in their favour too: They won their past two tournaments on home soil -- Euro '84 and the 1998 World Cup.

They know they can play better--- much better -- than they did in the past three halves of football, and it's a natural pressure point for Deschamps to hit. (Though, to be fair, he probably ought to shoulder a fair part of the blame for any poor play against Germany as well.)

Portugal, meanwhile, have proved themselves to be furiously, maddeningly resilient. At 3-to-1, they have more Champions' League winners than the French, if that means anything. They too can kick it up a notch, though probably not as much as Deschamps' crew, unless Ronaldo is in Superman mode.

It's tempting to conclude this final will be a typically tight, grind-it-out game. France have all the pressure of the world on them and, given the way they're set up, they can afford to wait for a set piece or a Griezmann run on the break.

Portugal have looked best when they've outworked the opposition and defended as a unit. It's the formula that got them past Croatia and Poland and, on paper, there's little reason for them to deviate from the script.

And yet if there's one thing the semifinals reminded us, it's that goals can come at any time and in any circumstance. An early one at the Stade de France could radically change the blueprint, and there is enough individual talent on both sides for this to happen. So maybe an early gamble, from either side, might not be such a bad idea.

The book has been written, bar the ending. Odds are we won't see many of these guys -- from Evra to Sagna, from Pepe to Ronaldo -- in another major international tournament final. What you can be sure of is that every last one of those involved will want to make this count and leave nothing on the pitch. Just as they've done throughout this tournament.

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 Michel Platini nlikely to attend Euro 2016 final

Michel Platini is not expected to attend the Euro 2016 final, although UEFA general secretary ad interim Theodore Theodoridis hopes the outgoing president will change his mind and accept an invite.
In May, the former France attacking midfielder announced he would resign as president of European football's governing body after his ban from football was reduced from six years to four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Platini and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter were initially given eight years by world football's governing body over a two million Swiss francs payment, worth £1.25million then, made by Blatter to Platini in 2011.
That December ruling was reduced to six years by a FIFA appeal panel in February and has now been reduced again by CAS, but the Lausanne-based court has backed FIFA's judgement that the payment was "unfair" and a "conflict of interests."
On Friday, Platini's work in helping to bring Euro 2016 to his homeland was praised by high-ranking UEFA officials, with vice-president Angel Maria Villar highlighting his work at the end of a speech during the news press conference.
"Finally, this long list of 'thank yous' would not be complete without mentioning the tournament's one major absentee," Villar said.
"France's hosting of UEFA Euro 2016 is down to one man: Michel Platini.
"I'm sure the French people know that. Michel can be proud -- very proud -- of his Euro.
"He is in all of our thoughts today, and we are grateful to him."
Villar left before he could take questions but his sentiments were echoed by UEFA general secretary ad interim Theodoridis.
"Michel Platini, who is not with us," he said. "But without his vision and without his very strong support for five years, again, this tournament would not be such a success."
Asked whether Platini still had an invite to the final, Theodoridis said: "The invitation to Mr Platini was for the whole tournament, including the final.
"Until now, he has not shown interest and, according to our knowledge, he will not be coming to the final.
"I hope he changes his mind and he is with us on Sunday to celebrate the ending of this tournament."

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 Where do the 552 EURO players come from?

Which clubs have the most players in France? How many are there from the Premier League – or League One? Who has the squad with the most UEFA Champions League stars? Find out here ...

KEY STATS

• 139 of the 552 players in the 24 squads are based in England, including all of Roy Hodgson's 23
• England's second-tier Championship is the seventh most represented division
• 49 players in all represent non-top-flight clubs (36 in England)
• Sweden and Slovakia both have players based in 13 different countries
• Juventus and Liverpool have the most players in the squads; Real Madrid are joint seventh
• 19 of Spain's squad played in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League
• Nolito only Spain player not involved in 2015/16 UEFA club competition
• Five players are in Asian leagues (3 Qatar, 1 Australia, 1 Saudi Arabia)
• Four players are in CONCACAF leagues (3 MLS, 1 Mexico)

NUMBER CRUNCHING

• Clubs with most representatives

Juventus have 12 players in France©AFP/Getty Images12 – Juventus, Liverpool
11 – Tottenham Hotspur
10 – Manchester United
9 – Barcelona, Bayern München, Fenerbahçe
8 – Arsenal, Basel, CSKA Moskva, Real Madrid, Roma

• Domestic leagues with most representatives

Northern Ireland's Luke McCullough from English fourth-tier Doncaster Rovers©Getty Images139 – England (103 Premier League, 31 Championship, 4 League One, 1 League Two)
65 – Germany (57 1. Bundesliga, 8 2. Bundesliga)
56 – Italy (52 Serie A, 4 Serie B)
36 – Turkey (36 Süper Lig)
35 – Spain (34 Primera, 1 Segunda)
32 – Russia (32 Premier League)
22 – France (22 Ligue 1)

• Leagues with one representative

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk joined Kairat last summer©fckairat.kzAustralia – Aaron Hughes (Northern Ireland/Melbourne City)
Azerbaijan – Ansi Agolli (Albania/Qarabağ)
China – Burak Yılmaz (Turkey/Beijing Guoan)
Israel – Ovidiu Hoban (Romania/Hapoel Beer Sheva)
Liechtenstein* – Armando Sadiku (Albania/Vaduz)
Kazakhstan – Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Ukraine/Kairat Almaty)
Mexico – André-Pierre Gignac (France/Tigres)
Saudi Arabia – Lucian Sânmărtean (Romania/Al-Ittihad)

*Liechtenstein only has a national cup, Vaduz compete in Swiss league

• Teams with most clubs represented

Iceland: 23 players, 22 clubs©Getty Images22 – Iceland, Northern Ireland
21 – Sweden
20 – Albania, Poland, Slovakia

• Teams with fewest clubs represented

8 – Russia
10 – England, Ukraine

• Teams with most different leagues represented

13 – Slovakia, Sweden
10 – Albania, Iceland, Romania

• Teams with fewest different leagues represented

All of England's players are home based©AFP/Getty Images1 – England
2 – Russia, Republic of Ireland
3 – Italy, Wales

• Teams with most home-based players

23 – England
22 – Russia
18 – Italy

• Teams with fewest home-based players

0 – Iceland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Wales*
1 – Austria

*Wales have two players from Swansea City, who play in the English Premier League

• Teams with most players from 2015/16 UEFA Champions League

Spain have the most UEFA Champions League experience©Getty Images19 – Spain
16 – Germany
15 – France
13 – Italy
12 – Ukraine

• Teams with fewest players from 2015/16 UEFA Champions League

0 – Albania, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia

• Teams with most players from 2015/16 UEFA Europa League

15 – Turkey
12 – Czech Republic, England, Portugal, Ukraine

• Teams with fewest players from 2015/16 UEFA Europa League

0 – Republic of Ireland
2 – Northern Ireland
3 – Hungary, Romania
4 – Iceland

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 UEFA expects $917M profit from European Championship

Expanding the European Championship has paid off for UEFA, which expects to make a record profit of 830 million euros ($917 million).

UEFA's projected tournament finances published Friday showed total revenue of 1.93 billion euros ($2.13 billion) for the expanded 24-team tournament.
"The numbers are positive," UEFA interim general secretary Theodore Theodoridis said at a news conference, adding that a larger event "was a big success."

Revenue is forecast to rise by 34 percent — earned from 20 extra matches — over Euro 2012, which had 16 teams and 31 matches played in Poland and Ukraine.
Four years ago, UEFA's profit was 593.7 million euros (then $724 million) from its most lucrative competition, according to its financial accounts for that year.
UEFA leaders, including Theodoridis and senior vice president Angel Maria Villar, praised Michel Platini, the European football body's outgoing president who will serve a FIFA ban from official duty until 2019.
Platini's pledge to add eight more teams to the tournament was key to him being elected in 2007, and he worked in 2010 with Nicolas Sarkozy, then president of France, to help its hosting bid beat Turkey in a 7-6 vote of UEFA executive committee members.
"France's hosting of UEFA Euro 2016 is down to one man: Michel Platini," Villar said at the briefing at Stade de France, where the home nation plays Portugal in the final on Sunday. "Michel can be proud, very proud, of his Euro."
Still, UEFA does not expect Platini to accept its invitation to attend the match.
Platini's tournament legacy includes letting UEFA bank 230 million euros ($254 million) from Euro 2016 to cover its own running costs for the next four years.
UEFA's profit will also provide 600 million euros ($663 million) for its 55 member federations for development projects over the next four years.
The money was earned by: Broadcast rights of just over 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion); sponsorship and licensing deals worth 480 million euros ($530 million); and sales of tickets and hospitality earning 400 million euros ($441 million).
Spending by UEFA on Euro 2016 included 650 million euros ($718 million) on organizing the event; 301 million euros ($333 million) in team prize money; and 150 million euros ($168 million) to clubs for releasing their players to the finals tournament and qualifying matches.
UEFA can point to its financial results as an argument for keeping the 24-team format beyond Euro 2020, despite criticism that the quality of football has declined.
Many analysts viewed the 16-team format as a perfect number for a tournament bracket and to ensure top teams played against each other in the group stage.
The success of surprise semifinalist Wales and quarterfinalist Iceland is also part of UEFA's argument for maintaining the bigger event.
"There are no small teams in Europe anymore," said Villar, a potential candidate to succeed Platini in a Sept. 14 election. "This fresh air is justification for the tournament's 24 team format."

  

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Griezmann gives France 2-0 win

Griezmann gives France 2-0 win over Germany

Antoine Griezmann scored both goals as France beat world champion Germany 2-0 to reach the final of the European Championship.
Griezmann put France in front from the penalty spot in first half stoppage time of the semifinal at the Stade Velodrome. He then took full advantage of a German defensive blunder to score his second with a calm finish in the 72nd minute.
France will play Portugal in Sunday's final at Saint-Denis.
France reaches its first major final for a decade and is chasing its first major trophy since Euro 2000. Germany misses its chance to add the European title to the World Cup it won in 2014.
Germany had chances to score but was denied by poor shooting and also the woodwork, when Joshua Kimmich hit the post after France's second goal.

Antoine Griezmann has scored his sixth goal of Euro 2016 to give France a 2-0 lead over Germany after Paul Pogba pounced on a defensive error area.
Manuel Neuer flapped at Pogba's cross from the left and Griezmann poked the loose ball into an empty net.
GOAL: Antoine Griezmann scores again in the 72nd minute. France leads Germany 2-0.
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9:57 p.m.
Host nation France led World Cup holder Germany 1-0 at halftime in their European Championship semifinal after Antoine Griezmann scored from the penalty spot shortly before the break.
Griezmann struck his spot-kick to Manuel Neuer's right after Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger gave away the penalty with a handball.
Prior to the penalty, Germany had the better of the first half, with Thomas Mueller missing from a good position in the 13th minute. Emre Can also forced a save from France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with a bouncing shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Shortly before the penalty, Olivier Giroud got behind the German defense on a fast breakaway but was stopped by a sliding tackle from Benedikt Hoewedes as he tried to shoot.
France also took advantage of a slow German start to threaten early on, with Antoine Griezmann forcing a save by Manuel Neuer from inside the area.
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9:49 p.m.
Antoine Griezmann converted a penalty in stoppage time after Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger handled the ball in the area as he challenged Patrice Evra. Griezmann fired his spot-kick into the bottom left corner to give France a 1-0 lead at halftime in their semifinal.
The winner of the match plays Portugal in Sunday's final.
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9:47
GOAL: Antoine Griezmann scores a penalty in first half stoppage time. France leads Germany 1-0.
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8:10 p.m.
Germany coach Joachim Loew has made three changes to the starting 11 that beat Italy on penalties in the quarterfinal.
With central defender Mats Hummels suspended and injuries for midfielder Sami Khedira and forward Mario Gomez, Loew has brought in defensive midfielder Emre Can, midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger — who had been an injury doubt — and winger Julian Draxler.
France coach Didier Deschamps has named an unchanged team from the quarterfinal win over Iceland.
Samuel Umtiti in defense and Moussa Sissoko in midfield keep their starting places, instead of Adil Rami and N'Golo Kante, who were suspended for the last game.
Striker Olivier Giroud leads the attack, supported by Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet — a trio that has yielded 10 of France's 11 goals so far.
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7:58 p.m.
Here are the lineups for the semifinal between France and Germany at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille:
Germany: Manuel Neuer, Jonas Hector, Jerome Boateng, Benedikt Hoewedes, Joshua Kimmich, Emre Can, Julian Draxler, Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Mueller.
France: Hugo Lloris, Bacary Sagna, Samuel Umtiti, Laurent Koscielny, Patrice Evra, Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi, Moussa Sissoko, Antoine Griezmann, Dimitri Payet, Olivier Giroud.
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5:40 p.m.
It's going to be hot work Thursday night for players and fans in the southern French city of Marseille for the second semifinal of the European Championship as host France takes on world champion Germany for a place in Sunday's final against Portugal at the Stade de France.
Temperatures late afternoon hovered around 33 degrees Celsius (91F) at the Stade Velodrome, with the sun beating down from a nearly cloudless blue sky on fans who sat in the shade of trees near the stadium.
The good news for Germany and France players is that the temperatures are forecast to drop slightly by the 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) kickoff time, but they will still be around 26 degrees Celsius (79F).
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5:27 p.m.
Romania has turned to a German coach after being eliminated from the European Championship without winning a game.
The Romanian football federation says it appointed Christoph Daum to coach the national team.
Daum replaces former Romania playing great Anghel Iordanescu, who completed his third stint as coach after his team's exit from Euro 2016.
Romania placed last in a group that included France, Switzerland and Albania.
The 62-year-old Daum has coached club teams to national league titles in Germany, Turkey and Austria.
He was widely expected to be appointed Germany coach after the team's disappointing Euro 2000, until he subsequently admitted to cocaine use in the past.
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5:25 p.m.
Tricolors fluttered everywhere in Marseille on Thursday ahead of the second European Championship semifinal, with the black, red and yellow German flag outnumbering the red, white and blue of France in the city's packed Old Port.
Elsewhere, market traders used flags as sunshades and passengers waved the French tricolor from car windows as they maneuvered traffic-clogged streets near the Stade Velodrome. Even beggars asking for change had the French flag's stripes painted on their faces.
On a beach near the city's Fan Zone, German fans lived up to one national stereotype by laying out their flags alongside towels early in the day as they soaked up the Mediterranean sun hours before their team attempted to reach Sunday's final. Portugal awaits the winner, with Germany hoping to add the European title to the World Cup it won two years ago in Brazil.
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1:50 p.m.
Wales fans will get the chance to welcome home the European Championship semifinalist Friday with an open-top bus parade through the streets of Cardiff and a performance by Welsh band Manic Street Preachers.
A 2-0 defeat by Portugal in Lyon on Wednesday brought Wales' presence at the championship to an end.
As well as the bus parade, The Football Association of Wales is opening Cardiff City Stadium on Friday. There will be a presentation to the players and coaching staff as well as music.
FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford said: "We feel this event is a great way of everyone celebrating what has been a historic period for Welsh football.
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