“Let’s hope that time is a good advisor and allows everyone to draw their conclusions,” Cristiano Ronaldo wrote on his Instagram account.
“Winning the World Cup with Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career (…). I have fought hard for this dream” but “unfortunately, the dream ended yesterday,” lamented the former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker.
Portugal was eliminated from the World Cup on Saturday, losing to Morocco (1-0). After the defeat, Cristiano Ronaldo immediately left the field visibly collapsed and with tears in his eyes.
The 37-year-old attacker, who played in his fifth World Cup, did not speak of a retirement from his Seleçao, but the last two games played by Portugal in Qatar, which started from the bench, showed that the generational change is already underway.
These last days have been marked by controversy, especially when he did not start in the round of 16 against Switzerland. The Portuguese press had reported that Cristiano Ronaldo had threatened to leave the group for this reason.
The Portuguese coach, Fernando Santos, wanted to head off the controversy by alleging that Cristiano Ronaldo never said he wanted to leave the national team.
“It is not necessary to react hotly. I want everyone to know that despite everything that has been said, everything that has been written, all the speculation, my dedication has never changed (…). I would never turn my back to my teammates and my country”, underlined the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“For now there is not much more to say… the dream has been beautiful while it lasted…”, Ronaldo continued.
A part of the players of the selection of the Portugal team must return this Sunday at mid-afternoon to Lisbon.