ARLINGTON, Texas : Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the World Cup as one of the greatest players in soccer history, but the one trophy that eluded him throughout a glittering career remained beyond his reach.
Portugal’s 1-0 defeat by Spain in the last 16 on Monday brought the 41-year-old’s sixth and final World Cup campaign to an end, with Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time winner denying Ronaldo one last chance to pursue the title.
A day earlier, Ronaldo had confirmed the tournament in North America would be his last World Cup, saying he had no regrets about a career that has stretched across more than two decades.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez paid tribute to his captain after the match.
“We will always be grateful for what he tried to do at this World Cup, because the dream was to win the World Cup and he tried with an incredible example of leadership as a captain,” Martinez said.
“This is not the moment to look beyond what we’re talking about: a soccer icon. There are not many Cristiano Ronaldos.”
Ronaldo finishes his World Cup career with 27 appearances and 11 goals.
His only knockout-stage goal came earlier in this tournament against Croatia, keeping Portugal’s title hopes alive before Spain ended their run.
Ronaldo’s deepest World Cup campaign came in 2006, when, as a 21-year-old, he helped Portugal reach the semi-finals. He converted the decisive penalty in a quarter-final shootout victory over England, but Portugal fell to France in the last four.
Despite repeatedly carrying Portugal’s hopes over the following two decades, the World Cup title always remained out of reach.
Against Spain, Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes and had three attempts on goal but was unable to find a breakthrough.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised the veteran after ending his World Cup journey.
“I’m a great admirer of him, of his values, of what he stands for, of how he approaches the sport, and I think he’s a role model for young people,” De la Fuente said.
“Whenever we have the chance to be together, we acknowledge our mutual admiration and the pride we feel at knowing him.”
Ronaldo largely sidestepped comparisons with longtime rival Lionel Messi during the tournament, but the contrast between their World Cup legacies remains striking.
While Messi led Argentina to the 2014 final before lifting the trophy in 2022, Ronaldo’s campaigns consistently ended in disappointment.
There had been the prospect of one final World Cup meeting between the two, had Portugal won their group and both teams progressed to the quarter-finals.
“It would be top,” Ronaldo had said after Portugal’s group-stage victory over Uzbekistan.
For a player who conquered almost every other summit in the game, the World Cup remained the one peak he could not reach.
