Cristiano Ronaldo walked off the pitch at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Monday evening wiping tears from his eyes. He had confirmed before kick-off that this would be his last World Cup. Spain eliminated Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16, substitute Mikel Merino scoring the only goal in first-half stoppage time with a low finish past Diogo Costa. The World Cup Ronaldo never won is now officially the one that got away.
A tight, cagey match looked destined for extra time until Ferran Torres played in Merino to break the deadlock. Ronaldo had earlier seen two efforts saved by Unai Simón and managed only 19 touches across 90 minutes, including none after the 80th minute. Portugal created 0.60 expected goals on 10 shots. Spain created 1.77 on 15. The numbers told the story.
Ronaldo’s World Cup career ends with 27 appearances, three goals in this tournament, a brace against Uzbekistan and a penalty against Croatia, and the distinction of being the only player, man or woman, to have scored in six different World Cups. He retires from the tournament with 146 international goals across 233 appearances, but without the one prize that would have completed the collection.
I’ve given my all. I’ve won three titles with Portugal,” he said after the final whistle. “The 2016 Euros title is on the same level as a World Cup.” Coach Roberto Martínez was equally measured: “We’re talking about an icon in football. There aren’t many Cristiano Ronaldos.”
The records are extraordinary. The grief behind them, on an Arlington evening when a 41-year-old stood applauding a tournament that never gave him everything he came for, was entirely human.
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