Ronaldo's 'last dance' at the World Cup ends in tears

After 27 matches played and 11 goals scored across six World Cup appearances, Cristiano Ronaldo bid farewell to the global stage with Portugal's latest elimination. This time, it was at the hands of Spain in the Round of 16, a match where Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes, unleashing three shots, two of which were on target, but failed to beat the safe hands of Unai Simón.

The final whistle blew in the ninth minute of stoppage time, and disappointment immediately washed over all Portuguese fans. After a few moments contemplating the stands of Dallas Stadium, Ronaldo couldn't hold back his emotions and began to cry, while also acknowledging the more than 70,000 supporters who had flocked to the venue.

Unfortunately for the 41-year-old player, and for the Portuguese nation, this was not an unprecedented sight. Already at the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, images of Ronaldo crying in the tunnel leading to the changing rooms circulated worldwide after the Seleção was eliminated by Morocco in the quarter-finals, also by a 0-1 scoreline.

Kátia Aveiro had already confirmed that 2026 would mark Ronaldo's World Cup swansong, even before the Round of 16 clash with Croatia. Ronaldo himself didn't shy away from the question, confirming his farewell in the pre-match press conference ahead of the duel with the Spanish.

Ronaldo's departure from the world's biggest competition ultimately comes with this sad ending, in a game where Portugal could still believe in victory before succumbing to Spanish dominance in the second half, which culminated in Mikel Merino's goal in the 90+1st minute.