Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been shown love and support by the sporting world after falling short to what is believed to have been his last appearance in a World Cup.
This after Morocco stunned yet another tournament favorite, when they edged past Portugal in their quarter-final encounter at the Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar on Saturday.
The Atlas Lions beat Fernando Santo’s side 1-0 to become the first ever African team to reach the semi-finals in the history of the competition.
Sevilla striker Youssef En Nesyri scored the only goal of the match when he leaped the highest ahead of Ruben Diaz in the 42nd minute to secure a famous victory against Portugal.
Ronaldo has been on the spotlight since the start of the tournament, following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan and parting ways with Manchester United by mutual consent.
The 37-year-old veteran striker, who fell out of favor with Santos, consecutively starting from the bench in the knockout stages of the tournament, has since been showered with love by fellow sports stars on social media, after he posted an emotional message on his Instagram account.
“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 Portugal, but putting our country’s name on the highest foot in the world was my biggest dream,” he wrote.
“I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream.
“Sadly yesterday the dream ended. It’s not worth reacting to heat. I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed not for a moment. I was always one fighting for the objective of all, and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country.
“Not much more to say for now. Thank you Portugal. Thank you Qatar, the dream was nice while it lasted. Now, it’s hoping that the weather will be good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions.”
Despite the criticism from the media & certain pundits, Cristiano Ronaldo is loved by everyone. @Cristiano 🐐 pic.twitter.com/zKIYAuR5WU
— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) December 12, 2022
(1/2) No trophy or any title can take anything away from what you’ve done in this sport and for sports fans around the world. No title can explain the impact you’ve had on people and what I and so many around the world feel when we watch you play. That’s a gift from god. pic.twitter.com/inKW0rkkpq
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) December 12, 2022
I don't think anyone from the new generation will be able to match his numbers again. He will forever be in his own category. 🐐
Everyone should show more respect to one of the greatest athletes in sports history…
— Mesut Özil (@M10) December 9, 2022
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is currently a free agent and has reportedly been offered a two-and-a-half-year deal worth $200-million (R3.5-billion) per season by Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.
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