Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been reticent about his future representing his country, commenting on the team’s exit from the World Cup after defeat to Morocco.
The 37-year-old forward broke down in tears as he returned to the dressing room after his side’s quarter-final match ended in a 1-0 defeat by the Atlantic Lions.
Ronaldo made a substitute appearance and did not feature from the first match, having also come on as a substitute for a late appearance in the round of 16 against Switzerland.
“Winning the World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career,” he wrote on social media.
Unfortunately, the dream ended yesterday (Saturday).
Ronaldo left Manchester United by mutual consent before the 2022 World Cup, after a controversial television interview in which the five-time Ballon d’Or winner sharply criticized the club and its manager.
Ronald started all three matches for his country in the group stage of the tournament before manager Fernando Santos placed him on the bench during the match which saw victory over Switzerland.
Portuguese website Record said Ronaldo threatened to quit the tournament, after being told he would not start the match against Switzerland, but the Portuguese Football Federation and Santos denied that had happened.
Ronaldo added: “I just want everyone to know that a lot has been said, a lot has been written, there has been a lot of speculation, but my devotion to Portugal hasn’t changed for a moment.”
“I’ve always been an extra player, fighting for everyone to score and I will never turn my back on my team-mates and my country,” he added.
“At the moment, there is not much to say. Thank you, Portugal. Thank you, Qatar. It was a good dream when you were there. Now, we must give ourselves the time to be a good adviser and let everyone come to their own conclusions” .
