Cristiano Ronaldo walked off the pitch at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with tears in his eyes on Monday, July 6, as his Portugal squad fell 1-0 to Spain in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo, 41, has said this would be his final World Cup, but he has not closed the door on appearing on the national stage for Portugal again.
“I’m sad to leave the World Cup in this way,” he told reporters after the match. “But as I said yesterday in the press conference, I’ve given my all, I’ve given my best and I leave with a clear conscience. This is soccer, this is the life of a soccer player. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and you have to carry on.”
Ronaldo has represented Portugal in international play for more than two decades and, at this year’s tournament, became the first male player ever to score a goal in six different World Cups. His 11 total World Cup goals are the ninth-most of all time.
Though Ronaldo helped lead his country to a European Championship in 2016 and two UEFA Nations League titles, the World Cup title eluded him.
Nevertheless, he said he is happy with how things worked out.
“I have won three titles for Portugal,” he said. “Before Cristiano, Portugal hadn’t won any titles. I’m happy.”
He added, “The truth is that the biggest title I won with the national team was in 2016, which for me has the same magnitude as a World Cup, honestly. So I leave with a clear conscience and that’s it. Tomorrow will be a new day and life will go on.”
His national team coach, Roberto Martínez, added in his postgame remarks that Ronaldo has been an “exemplary captain.”
“I arrived with Portugal at a time with a lot of confusion and doubts about Cristiano, and he’s been a role model, not just with goals and assists, what he does in the box, his commitment, how he experiences football,” he said. “He’s an example. We have to celebrate him.”
“We’re talking about an icon in football,” he continued. “There aren’t many Cristiano Ronaldos. We have to be thankful for what he did at this World Cup. He wanted to win it, as a player, a captain, on a human level, we’ll all take it with us forever. An example as the human being who is behind the sportsman.”
With Ronaldo still open to playing for Portugal in the immediate future, fans have speculated that he may change his mind and opt for one more run at the World Cup. Portugal will host the 2030 event along with cohosts Morocco and Spain.
