Cristiano Ronaldo had the opportunity to speak to AS ahead of the 2010 World Cup and declared that not only will the competition be great, but Portugal may mount a serious challenge too.

Cristiano Ronaldo strongly believes that the competition this summer in South Africa could be one of the greatest yet. The Portugal captain is defiant in his own team's ability, although admits that they may need some luck along the way.

Cristiano said, "All the great teams and all the great players will be there. In recent tournaments there were great teams, but this time will be the strongest. The teams that qualify have earned the right to be there, but this time those they are, in theory, the most powerful."

He went on, "I dream of the possibility of winning a major tournament for my country, but everyone knows that because I have said so on several occasions. We were very close at Euro 2004 in Portugal. Also at the World Cup, where we finished fourth.

"Our team will be more mature in South Africa. We will be a team that went through some difficult stages in qualifying. In recent months many things have improved, a team doesn't happen overnight.

"There are several teams that can win the World Cup and Portugal is among them. But we need good things to happen: we must work hard, we have confidence. We have the support and we can get lucky, or at least hope that the luck we have is not bad."