ARLINGTON, Texas — Cristiano Ronaldo heard the cheers while walking off the pitch after his final World Cup match for Portugal. The stoic look on his face and his brief wave acknowledging the fans showed this wasn’t the desired outcome.
The sixth and final World Cup for the 41-year-old superstar ended with a 1-0 loss to border rival Spain in a Round of 16 game on Monday. Ronaldo was denied a goal in the first half when goalkeeper Unai Simón made an impressive leaping stop.
Ronaldo, the only player to score in six World Cups in a row and the career leader in international goals with 146, took three shots against Spain.
Two of those were on target, including the one on which Simón was still in midair when he reached back to grab the ball with both hands. Ronaldo got off a backward kick with his right foot after a header by teammate Joao Felix bounced off Simón’s shoulder.
On the day before the Round of 16 game, Ronaldo spoke to reporters for about 25 minutes and said he hoped it wouldn’t be his last match and wanted “to enjoy what will be my last World Cup to the fullest.”
The deepest Ronaldo ever made it in the World Cup was a semifinal run in 2006, his debut in the tournament.
Ronaldo’s finale on soccer’s biggest stage came eight years after he recorded a World Cup hat trick at age 33. That was in a 3-3 draw with Spain in a group-stage opener considered one of the tournament’s best matches, although neither power reached the knockout stage.
He scored 11 goals in World Cup play, tied for ninth on the career list.