CRISTIANO RONALDO'S DREAM TO WIN THE WORLD CUP ENDS IN TEARS

CRISTIANO RONALDO'S DREAM TO WIN THE WORLD CUP ENDS IN TEARS

There May Never Be Another Opportunity For The 37-Year-Old Portuguese Forward To Lift Football's Most Prestigious Award.

By Rashmi Goel

This was yet another humiliating defeat for Ronaldo, who has appeared in five editions of the World Cup, scoring in every campaign of his career, and he has been humiliated in the biggest competition of all time. In the most likely scenario, this was the striker's last appearance in the World Cup, and he may not be able to win the most coveted trophy in the world of football in his lifetime. The Portugal team led by Cristiano Ronaldo suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Morocco.

A tearful Cristiano Ronaldo walked off the pitch at the end of the World Cup on Saturday, his dreams of winning the trophy in tatters. Morocco shocked Portugal 1-0 in the quarterfinals, their joy contrasting sharply with Ronaldo's misery. This was particularly bitter for the Portuguese forward, 37 since he played as a substitute and may never have another shot at the game's most prestigious award. With another result, Ronaldo may have been able to equal the all-time men's international appearance record, but his final minutes were desperate.

As Upon hearing the final whistle, Ronaldo left the field with tears streaming down his face, ignoring the Moroccan players rushing to their fans to celebrate. It was probably Cristiano Ronaldo and myself who were the most upset, according to Portugal coach Fernando Santos. "There is no doubt that we are upset, that it affects us, that is part of the job." Ronaldo won Euro 2016 with his country, despite being taken off injured during the final against France and watching from the sidelines as Eder became a national hero. Despite Ronaldo and his country's best efforts, they fell short against Morocco, who were a surprise package at the World Cup.

Ronaldo had been relegated to the bench as Portugal romped to a 6-1 victory over Switzerland, and Santos maintained that strategy. After halftime, however, With his team trailing to Youssef En-Nesyri's goal, Santos threw on Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo, seeking assistance from their all-time leading scorer. As Morocco swarm him whenever the ball was close to him, Ronaldo had difficulty getting involved in the game. There was only one opportunity for the striker to score, but Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou stopped it quickly.

Ronaldo will have to decide his future in the game at the club level after recovering from the disappointment of the World Cup. At the start of the tournament, Ronaldo and Manchester United split up bitterly, leaving him without a club to call home.

Ronaldo's explosive interview in which he criticized his former employers and coach Erik ten Hag overshadowed Portugal's start to the tournament. As a result of Ronaldo's penalty kick during Portugal's opening game against Ghana, he became the first player to score at five men's World Cups. As he tried to head in a curling Bruno Fernandes ball, he thought he had scored again, but the goal was assessed to his former United team-mate. Portugal had already qualified for the knockout phase, so Ronaldo started against South Korea despite qualifying already. After being hauled off without adding to his goal tally, he made an angry gesture at Santos, which the coach described as unacceptable.

A "strategic" decision was made to drop Ronaldo for the last 16 against Switzerland, which Santos repeated against Morocco. It was the first time since 2006 that Ronaldo had not started in a game for Portugal during the World Cup. In response to a question regarding whether he regretted starting Ronaldo on the bench, the coach stated that he did not regret his decision. The team played well against Switzerland, and I have no regrets," said Santos. I have no regrets about bringing Cristiano in when I decided it was necessary, so I have no regrets." Ronaldo did not score in either game, appearing as a substitute in both, and he has never scored in any World Cup knockout games.

With the next tournament four years away, Ronaldo seems unlikely to be able to continue playing after that, despite once stating he was willing to remain active into his 40s.