Cristiano Ronaldo fought back tears as he lingered on the field after what is set to be his final World Cup game.
Portugal lost 1-0 in the Round of 16 to Spain on Monday in what was Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup. The game was scoreless into second-half added time before substitute Mikel Merino cut through the Portugal defense and slotted home the winner.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo said before the game that this would be his final World Cup, but he’s refused to put a date on his retirement. Ronaldo became the second man alongside Lionel Messi to appear in six World Cups earlier in the tournament, and his first of two goals against Uzbekistan in the group stage made him the first player to score a goal in six World Cups.
Advertisement
Ronaldo is one of the greatest strikers in modern soccer history and has scored a record 976 goals across 1,326 games played for club and country. However, Portugal has fallen well short in each of his six World Cups.
Monday’s loss was the fourth time that Portugal has failed to make it past the Round of 16 with Ronaldo. Portugal finished fourth in 2006 in Ronaldo’s first World Cup appearance. Since then, a quarterfinal appearance at the 2022 World Cup has been the team’s best run.
Ronaldo has struggled in the knockout rounds too. His penalty kick in the team’s 2-1 win over Croatia in the Round of 32 was his first knockout-round goal or assist ever.
It’s time for Portugal to move on
Ronaldo’s only goals in open play during the World Cup came against Uzbekistan. He was otherwise largely ineffective while on the field, and his best chances against other opponents came after he was offside.
Advertisement
Yes, Ronaldo is a Portuguese legend. But this is a team that has appeared significantly impacted by his age and decreased effectiveness. His lack of pressing is evident and it felt like he was just a step or two slow for most of the tournament. It was a very small sample size, but it was hard not to notice how dangerous Portugal looked after Ronaldo came off the field late against Croatia.
Now, with Ronaldo assuredly set to retire at some point in the near future, Portugal can remodel its whole philosophy with a squad that is one of the best in the world. Will we know with absolute certainty that Ronaldo was holding Portugal back over the last half-decade? No. But do not be surprised in the slightest if Portugal makes a deep run at the Euro 2028 and/or 2030 World Cup tournaments without him in the lineup.
