LISBON —
Cristiano Ronaldo said on Sunday “there’s no point in reacting in the heat of
the moment,” as he responded to Portugal’s World Cup elimination.
اضافة اعلان
Ronaldo stayed in
Qatar as many of the Portugal squad returned home and landed in Lisbon on
Sunday afternoon.
“To win a World
Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career.
Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including for
Portugal,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.
His post did not
talk about international retirement but he started Portugal’s last two matches in
Qatar on the bench, a decision which provoked debate in Portugal and across the
football world.
“Let’s hope that
time will be a good counsellor and allow everyone to draw their own
conclusions,” he wrote.
The Instagram post
was accompanied by a photo showing Ronaldo, head down, trudging off the field
in
Doha after the 1-0 quarter-final loss to Morocco on Saturday.
At 37, Ronaldo was
playing his fifth World Cup. As soon as the final whistle blew he headed down
the tunnel with tears streaming down his face.
Ronaldo is without
a club after a bitter divorce with Manchester United.
According to the
Portuguese press, Ronaldo threatened to leave the squad after he was dropped
from the starting lineup, but that was denied by coach Fernando Santos, who
will soon meet with the Portuguese Football Association to discuss his own
future.
“I just want
everyone to know that a lot was said, a lot was written, a lot was speculated,
but my dedication to Portugal didn’t change for an instant,” Ronaldo added.
“I was always one
more player fighting for everyone’s goal and I would never turn my back on my
teammates and my country.”
“In the five World
Cups I played, always alongside great players and supported by millions of
Portuguese, I gave it my all. I left everything on the field. I never turned my
back on the fight and I never gave up on this dream.”
“Unfortunately, yesterday
the dream ended. The dream was beautiful while it lasted.”
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