Cristiano Ronaldo has now spoken about how his "dream" with Portugal ended when they exited the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
On Saturday, A Selecao suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat to Morocco, with Youssef En-Nesyri scoring with a leaping header late in the first half to see the African side become the first nation from the continent to reach to the semi-finals of the tournament.
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Manager Fernando Santos decided to once again bench the former Manchester United star for the match before bringing him on in the 51st minute, but the scoreline remained the same in the second half despite a wave of pressure from Portugal.
At the final whistle, a visibly upset Ronaldo walked straight to the dressing room in tears.
In an emotional message posted on social media following the loss, the 37-year-old seemingly acknowledged that his elusive hunt for a World Cup title with Portugal had ended.
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"Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career," he wrote, per TEAMtalk.
"Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including Portugal, but putting our country's name on the highest foot in the World was my biggest dream.
"I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream.
"In the five appearances I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always by the side of great players and supported by millions of Portuguese, I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field.
"I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream.
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"Sadly, [on Saturday] the dream ended. It's not worth reacting to heat. I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed not for a moment.
"I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country.
"Not much more to say for now.
"Thank you Portugal. Thank you Qatar.
"The dream was nice while it lasted… Now, it's hoping that the weather will be good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions."
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