Ronaldo's Last World Cup: Tears in Dallas After Elimination by Spain

Even before kickoff, Ronaldo had stressed that he felt he had been fought by critics for 23 years. After the match, he visibly struggled to keep his composure. When Spanish coach Roberto Martínez – who is also the outgoing Portuguese national team coach – approached him, he briefly embraced his captain. Ronaldo then turned away to hide his tears and headed toward the dressing room. The Portuguese sports newspaper "O Jogo" reported that the 41-year-old had thanked the fans in tears and made his way to the locker room visibly moved. His Spanish counterpart Lamine Yamal, 23 years younger than Ronaldo and already a European champion, comforted the Portuguese player after the final whistle with a brief gesture. The newspaper "A Bola" wrote that Ronaldo had ended his "last dance" at a World Cup in tears and had hidden no emotion at the end of the match.

A Defeat Laden with Symbolism

Ronaldo's record at this World Cup remains modest. He has three goals to his name: two against Uzbekistan and one converted penalty against Croatia. That made him the first player ever to score at six different World Cups – eleven goals in 27 World Cup matches spread across his tournament history. In the decisive match against Spain, he remained ineffective. With only 19 touches of the ball, he was the player least involved in the game on the pitch, and in the second half he appeared physically exhausted. Coach Martínez opted not to substitute him, although Gonçalo Ramos was another striker waiting on the bench.

Even before the tournament, the discussion about Ronaldo's role had dominated the headlines. Former Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimović, working as an expert for Fox Sports, sharply criticized Ronaldo's selection in Portugal's starting lineup. Ronaldo's ego was "taking the team hostage," Ibrahimović said, "by now his aura carries him more than his legs do." He described the inclusion of the 41-year-old in the starting eleven as "nostalgia-driven madness." Jan Åge Fjørtoft had likewise recently compared Ronaldo on Servus TV to Elvis in Las Vegas.

Ibrahimović's Criticism and the Debate Over the Selection

Ronaldo himself appeared more composed after the match than many observers had expected. "He is sad to have to leave the World Cup like this," he said: "But that is football. That is the life of a footballer." Another statement read verbatim: "So ist das Leben eines Fußballers. Manchmal gewinnt man, manchmal verliert man, und man muss weitermachen." He wanted to "keep a cool head, stay calm and then make the best decision" – after consulting "the people who love me." He also confirmed: "It was my last World Cup, yes." Whether he would continue his career with the Portuguese national team, he left expressly open. There is "no reason to think about that now. We will see."

Ronaldo can point to an extraordinary record with the Seleção. He has played 233 international matches and scored 146 goals – record figures in world football. He has won three titles with Portugal: the 2016 European Championship, the 2019 Nations League and the 2025 Nations League. During the 2016 European Championship triumph in France, however, he was injured early in the final and had to watch from the sidelines as Éder scored in extra time. Ronaldo played it down: the European Championship triumph ten years ago has "the same meaning" for him as a World Cup one would have, he said. And added in an interview: "Der hat für mich denselben Wert wie die Weltmeisterschaft."

Three Titles, but No World Cup Trophy

At the same time, he pushed back against simplifications of his career. He had given his best and won three titles with Portugal – "before Cristiano Ronaldo there were zero titles," he said. And: "Ich habe drei Titel für Portugal gewonnen. Vor Cristiano Ronaldo hat Portugal keinen einzigen Titel gewonnen." Asked about his sporting legacy, he answered: "God has blessed me richly." He does not need the World Cup title to be happy and can close the World Cup chapter with "a clear conscience." At the same time, he admitted with self-criticism: "I know that I am no longer the same player as before. But one thing has not changed: I can still score goals."

Away from the pitch, Ronaldo's remarks continue to spark discussion. He had previously claimed that the Saudi professional league is qualitatively stronger than the French Ligue 1 – a statement that triggered head-shaking in Europe. The five-time world footballer (Ballon d'Or) will also play for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia next season, with his contract there running until June 30, 2027. A final decision on a possible move or retirement is pending. The newspaper "A Bola", for instance, wrote in a commentary: "Cristiano Ronaldo: Wir wollen dich nicht 'umbringen', aber jetzt reicht's."

Behind the scenes, talks about the future of the Seleção are already underway. Portugal's national team coach Roberto Martínez, a 52-year-old Spaniard, confirmed after the defeat the end of his tenure. He had taken the job with the goal of becoming world champion with Portugal, he said. Since he had missed that goal, he was now drawing the consequences. On the course of the match, he remarked: "It was an even game, and we deserved at least extra time, but that is football." The future of Ronaldo with the national team will be decided by his successor – according to media reports, Jorge Jesus, former coach of Al-Nassr, is to follow Martínez.

Martínez's Farewell and the Open Coaching Question

Ronaldo's career in numbers reads like that of a football giant: born on the Portuguese Atlantic island of Madeira, as Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, trained at Sporting Lisbon, then a world star at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, five-time world footballer, dominant scorer in the Champions League. His best World Cup result remains the semifinal appearance in 2006 in Germany during his first participation – after that, the earliest exit at World Cups was always the Round of 16. In 2004, at 19, he featured at the home European Championship in Portugal and scored in the group-stage match against Spain.

The generational question imposes itself. While Ronaldo played his last World Cup match at 41, an 18-year-old by the name of Lamine Yamal is ready – who, according to "Blick," is already a European champion and still has chances of winning the World Cup. Yamal's consolation for Ronaldo was symbolic: a young Spaniard comforting an old Portuguese world star after his last big appearance. Lionel Messi, two years younger than Ronaldo, had likewise led Argentina to the world title in 2022 – a triumph that, from a Portuguese perspective, complements but does not replace Ronaldo's life's work.

The Generational Change at the Top of the World

What remains is the record of a player who shaped football over two decades. With 233 international matches and 146 goals for Portugal, with eleven World Cup goals in six tournaments, with five Ballon d'Or titles and countless club records. A title with the Seleção at a World Cup was not granted to him. But Ronaldo himself summed it up: "Ich habe mein Bestes gegeben, drei Titel mit Portugal gewonnen – vor Cristiano Ronaldo waren es null Titel." At the end of his last World Cup match in Dallas, he cried briefly, then pulled himself together and walked on – as he himself put it.

(Philip Bauer, 7.7.2026)