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Cristiano Ronaldo, football’s greatest ever goalscorer, stood and accepted the end of his final FIFA World Cup journey with Portugal after a 1-0 loss to Spain in the Round of 16 last week.
It wasn’t an end befitting of the player in question, but that is rarely the case in sports. Very few go out on top, and even fewer still look themselves when they do so.
While not a widely accepted fact among his fans, it has been some time since Ronaldo looked himself at the highest level. His goalscoring aged as gracefully as anyone in football, but he no longer has the same movement, dribbling and orchestration in attack that made him one of the best to ever play the game.
The former Manchester United man reached his peak at Real Madrid, and spent nine years on the left wing for Los Blancos as they racked up four UEFA Champions League titles. He is the storied club’s top scorer by nearly 100 goals with a tally of 450 in 438 games.
Ronaldo scored wherever he played. His lowest goals-to-games ratios were early in his career as he developed from a young, tricky winger into an attacking force. He plays in a league where he can still dominate each week on the scoresheet and remained the captain and first name on the team sheet for Portugal despite his career seemingly winding down. He also remained in top physical shape, no doubt a big reason as to why he is still playing into his 40s.
Even with the obvious that he isn’t the same, there is still the flash every now and then of the player he once was.
At this World Cup it came against Uzbekistan. Admittedly not the flashiest World Cup matchup, but a match that demanded someone step up for Portugal.
It took six minutes.
A move down the right wing to create space by João Cancelo was mirrored by the famous No. 7 in the box. He began the play behind a teammate and charged towards the ball to make himself available at the near post. The decision was one of an experienced poacher, someone who knew an opportunity before anyone else could sniff it out.
As he arrived, Ronaldo had to meet the ball in an awkward position, but connected on a half-volley with the pass slightly behind him to shoot for and find the bottom right corner of the goal. It was the first of two on the day, with the second a bit more straightforward. It was reminiscent of the sort of counter-attacking goals he would score at Old Trafford, only this time assisted by Bruno Fernandes rather than Wayne Rooney.
Even for that brief moment and single performance, we were watching Ronaldo again.
Portugal reached the knockout rounds and won its Round of 32 tie against Croatia with a dramatic second-half comeback. Ronaldo and his fellow old-guard member Luka Modric faced off in a memorable match, which saw CR7 convert from the penalty spot for what was, shockingly, his first-ever knockout-round goal at the World Cup.
The match featured an interesting twist in Portugal’s fortunes, as Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes were subbed off after only an hour. Ronaldo remained and converted the penalty, but was subbed off himself before the final 10 minutes. Rafael Leão played the hero with a late winner, and some VAR drama prevented a last-gasp equalizer from Croatia.
Manager Roberto Martinez had played Ronaldo for every minute of the group stage, and though his gamble in taking off his stars paid off against Croatia, he made no such move in the next round against Spain. A lifeless attack was held silent in a 1-0 defeat, its second shutout of the tournament, in a quiet end to Ronaldo’s lengthy national team career.
CR7’s overall legacy will not be damaged by the last two World Cups, in part for the same reasons his place in the team was not challenged by many in Portugal. He is synonymous with the sport in the country and beyond. He is a national symbol of the country’s sporting greatness.
Like Eusebio before him, Ronaldo’s dominance did not lift the national team to the greatest heights. The Euro 2016 triumph was memorable, and injury prevented him from playing his part in the final, but the team struggled to reach beyond the Round of 16 in most tournaments. A young Ronaldo helped Portugal reach the semi-finals in 2006, and the team made a quarter-final appearance in 2022 after he was benched in the Round of 16.
The Portugal national team will not be left in a poor state, though a new manager is set to come in after Roberto Martinez stepped down. The squad has an impressive group of young players coming up and the midfield is arguably as strong as it has been since Ronaldo’s first World Cup with the team. Bruno Fernandes will be in his mid-30s at the next World Cup, but the squad has the likes of Vitinha, Nuno Mendes and João Neves on the rise as young stars as well in Mateus Fernandes, Geovany Quenda and Antonio Silva.
It’s a strong squad, even without a superstar up front. But the truth is, Ronaldo hasn’t been that superstar to elevate the team since the 2018 World Cup. It was a truth that was never accepted by the association, the manager, the squad, the fans, or Ronaldo himself, but it’s time now to accept the end and what should be one of the final chapters in his playing career.
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