Cristiano Ronaldo left the pitch in tears after Portugal's World Cup dream was snuffed out for good by a 1-0 last-16 defeat to Spain, Mikel Merino's injury-time winner sending their neighbours through in Dallas. The 41-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who had announced this would be his final World Cup, will now finish without football's biggest prize. His record of 976 goals for club and country, scored across six World Cups, could not save Portugal from a fourth consecutive tournament without reaching the quarter-finals since Euro 2016 glory.
Manager Roberto Martinez announced he was leaving the job after the final whistle, praising "football icon" Ronaldo: "We need to thank him for what he tried to do at this World Cup. His dream was to win this World Cup, he did this with an amazing example." But BBC pundit Chris Sutton was scathing: "He's waddling around the field like a grandad, that's why Portugal are out. Cristiano Ronaldo does nothing; he did nothing. What is Roberto Martinez doing? How can you pander to a player so much? Portugal are out because of Roberto Martinez." Statistics backed the criticism: Ronaldo touched the ball only 19 times in 90 minutes, with three shots and one chance created. Across five games he created just one chance, and 366 players touched the ball more than him despite his near-constant presence.
“Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup career ended in tears as Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the last-16.”
Bruno Fernandes described the exit as a "missed opportunity", telling reporters: "The overall assessment can't be positive – it would only be if we'd made it to the end, and we didn't. We had the quality to win the World Cup." The Manchester United star was part of a golden generation including Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and four Paris St-Germain Champions League winners, yet Portugal managed only one group-stage win before falling to their neighbours. Ronaldo, who has scored a record 146 international goals, said he would "meet the family and take decisions with a calm head" on his future with the national team. Whether his farewell will be permanent remains an open question, but his World Cup story is over.