Mario Centeno, who was Monday picked as Eurogroup chief, has pulled off a rare balancing act between growth and budgetary discipline as Portuguese finance minister, earning him a comparison with football star Ronaldo.

The 50-year-old economics professor who is often called a liberal but sees himself "culturally of the left" accedes to the top post among eurozone finance ministers after only two years in politics.

Former German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, not excessively prone to handing out flattery and a staunch defender of budgetary rigour, last May called him "the Cristiano Ronaldo of the Ecofin", the meeting place of EU's finance and economy ministers.