The 37-year-old bowed out of the World Cup after a shock defeat (Pictures: ITV Sport)
Cristiano Ronaldo was in floods of tears after Portugal’s shock World Cup exit at the hands of Morocco and headed straight down the tunnel at full-time.
Youssef En-Nesyri netted a brilliant first-half header before a stubborn rearguard from the underdogs saw them cling onto an historic 1-0 victory that sees them become the first African team or Arab team to make it to the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Ronaldo was named as a substitute in the match and entered the fray not long into the second half, equalling the record for most international appearances in the process.
But he only had one chance of note to try and level the scores, firing a near post effort into the palms of goalkeeper Bono, and looked a peripheral and often frustrated figure as his side struggled to breakdown Morocco.
When the full-time whistle was blown, Morocco’s elated players raced onto the pitch to celebrate as Ronaldo walked in the opposite direction and headed straight down the tunnel.
The 37-year-old looked inconsolable as he was directed towards the dressing room by a member of Portugal’s support staff, covering his face as tears streamed down.
Additional footage from the stands shows a couple of Portugal players try to speak to Ronaldo but he blanks them and keeps on walking.
Manager Fernando Santos also gave his skipper a brief tap on the back, while the five-time Ballon d’Or winner completely ignored a fan who ran onto the pitch to try and grab a selfie before heading down the tunnel.
Although Ronaldo has often had his critics – not least after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan which saw his Manchester United contract terminated – he was inundated with support on social media as he bowed out of the international stage in such a heartbreaking way.
Ronaldo had no interest in congratulating Morocco’s players (Picture: Getty)
Ronaldo looked furious that a pitch invader tried to get a selfie (Picture: Getty)
Ronaldo was already starting to tear up as he left the pitch (Picture: Getty)
Ronaldo endured a difficult tournament and was dropped from the XI (Picture: Getty)
Despite never winning the World Cup, Ronaldo leaves the tournament as one of its most decorated players.
He played 22 times in the competition – the fifth most of all time – netted eight goals and, courtesy of his strike against Ghana in the first group match, became the first player to score in five different World Cups.
However, he has failed to score in all eight of his knockout appearances at the World Cup (including a third-place playoff appearance), going 570 minutes of knockout action and 27 shots without netting.
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The 37-year-old looked inconsolable at full-time.
