Cristiano Ronaldo issued a statement after Portugal exited World Cup 2022, being eliminated from the tournament by Morocco.
The statement was posted on Instagram, on Sunday, where Ronald maintained that he would never turn his back on his teammates and on playing for Portugal.
The statement, in Portuguese, followed Portugal being defeated 1-0 by Morocco, at the quarter-final, a game when Ronaldo was kept on the bench for the second successive time, by coach Fernando Santos, unable to make much of an impact to avoid his team downfall.
Visibly distressed, Ronaldo, who never threatened to leave the World Cup because of Santos’ decision, left the field, alone and in tears, towards the exit tunnel, completely broken down as he made his way to the dressing room.
“Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.
Translation of full text:
“Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including for Portugal, while placing the name of our country at the highest level in the world was my biggest dream.
“I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. In the 5 presences that I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always alongside great players and supported by millions of Portuguese people, I gave my best. I left everything on the field. I never turned my face from the fight and I never gave up that dream.
“Unfortunately, yesterday the dream ended. It is not worth being angry. I just want everyone to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed for an instant. I was always one more person fighting for everyone’s goal and I would never turn my back on my teammates and on my country.
“For now, there’s not much more to say. Thank you, Portugal. Thank you, Qatar. The dream was beautiful while it lasted… Now, time will be the wisest advisor, allowing each one to draw their own conclusions.”
The defeat may have ended Ronald’s dream of winning the World Cup, but it is not the ending of CR7’s brilliant career. Pelé, the Brazilian footballer legend, replied to Ronaldo’s Instagram post, followed by 534 million, “Thanks for making us smile my friend.” Indeed!
PAJ/Staff
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