Luis Figo, one of Portugal's greatest players, believes Cristiano Ronaldo's team mates will have to do more to help the world's most expensive player sparkle at Euro 2012 after a disappointing defeat to Germany.

Ronaldo rarely made an impact in the game that was decided by Mario Gomez's 72nd minute winner but Figo said he did not deserve criticism for the display.

"I think the team need to give him the chances to have a good performance," Figo, 39, said at the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Lisbon on Sunday.

"The characteristic of Cristiano is to finish, to score, so if the team don't produce those kind of opportunities then of course his performance is down."

Figo, who retired three years ago after a glorious career that included a European Championship runners-up medal in 2004 when hosts Portugal lost in the final to Greece, said his country could now afford no more slip-ups in Group B.

The Portuguese play Denmark on Wednesday with the Danes having stunned the Dutch with a 1-0 win on Saturday -- a defeat for Portugal and Germany winning their game would see the Portuguese eliminated.

"We have to improve. Portugal were not so efficient in the opportunities we had. We don't have time for any more mistakes - we have to win the next two games," he said.

Later on Sunday, Figo will jump from the Abu Dhabi team's boat in the Volvo Ocean Race before it leaves Lisbon port on the penultimate stage of the event to Lorient, France.

His former Real Madrid team mate Zinedine Zidane carried out a similar stunt when the fleet left Alicante, Spain in the opening leg in October.

The Volvo Ocean Race finishes in Galway, Ireland on July 7.

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