Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup Story Ends In Tears
Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup career came to a disappointing end on Saturday night as Portugal were eliminated by Morocco.
Qatar 2022 was always going to be Ronaldo's final shot at World Cup glory.
It had started promisingly when Ronaldo scored a penalty in Portugal's 3-2 win over Ghana in their opening group game.
But that was as good as it got in Qatar for Ronaldo, who was benched by manager Fernando Santos for Portugal's 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16.
Ronaldo again started on the bench in Saturday's quarter-final before being thrown on as a 51st-minute substitute.
In coming on, Ronaldo equaled a world record for the most appearances in men's international soccer.
But he was unable to make a telling impact. Ronaldo touched the ball just 10 times and registered only one shot, which was comfortably saved by Morocco keeper Bono.
Ronaldo left the field in tears after the final whistle.
Cristiano Ronaldo pictured during his last ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup
IMAGO/ANP/Koen van Weel
He will never win the ultimate prize in world soccer.
However, he leaves the World Cup having firmly made his mark on it.
Ronaldo is the only the player in World Cup history to score at five different tournaments.
He is joint 26th on the list of the World Cup's all-time leading scorers, having netted eight goals in 22 appearances.
Ronaldo also provided two World Cup assists.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Career World Cup Stats
- Games played: 22
- Goals: 8
- Assists: 2
- Win rate: 45.5%
- Knockout matches won: 3
- Best finish: 4th place (2006)
