[한국강사신문 한상형 기자] According to Yonhap News, Portugal’s ‘superstar’ Cristiano Ronaldo (37, independent) revealed that he could not hold the World Cup trophy in his arms.
The Portuguese national football team lost 0-1 to Morocco in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup held at the Assumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 11th (Korean time).
Portugal, who dreamed of winning the World Cup for the first time in history, suffered an unexpected blow and finished the tournament in the quarterfinals.
Portugal, which had a record of third place in England in 1966, advanced to the semifinals for the second time in Germany in 2006 and finished fourth.
This year, he was determined to challenge the ‘great power’ by advancing to the semifinals for the first time in 16 years, but against Morocco, the ball share was 60%-22% (contending 18%), and the number of shots was 11 (3 effective shots) -9 (effective shots) 3), but was unable to avoid defeat.
Even if he is not able to show his best skills, Ronaldo, the ‘icon’ of Portuguese football, shed tears at the regrettable defeat. After the game-ending whistle blew, he wept as he took his first step toward the locker room.
Ronaldo, who is gradually descending from the peak, must have been more desperate for the World Cup trophy this time. When the North and Central America World Cup is held in four years, it is highly likely that the Qatar World Cup will be the last World Cup for Ronaldo, who will be 41 years old. Ronaldo also set new records in this competition.
He scored a penalty kick in the first group match against Ghana last month, becoming the only player to score in five consecutive World Cup tournaments. Since 2006 in Germany, he has participated in five consecutive World Cups and scored in each tournament, setting a new record in this category.
Already holding the record for the most goals in an A-match (match between national teams), he increased this number to 118.
Ronaldo, who showed a disappointing appearance in the third group match against Korea (Portugal lost 1-2), was excluded from the starting list in succession in the round of 16 and quarter-finals, but stepped on the ground as a substitute in both matches.
Ronaldo, who was substituted in the 6th minute of the second half of the match against Morocco, played his 196th national team match on this day and tied for first place with Bader Al-Mutawa (Kuwait) for the most appearances in a male soccer player’s career. However, even though he personally poured out new records, he could not laugh.
Ronaldo became “invincible” after parting ways with his team, Manchester United (Man United), a professional soccer team in England, before the group stage of this tournament. Here, rumors of a feud with Bruno Fernandes, who plays together for Manchester United and the Portuguese national team, were wrapped up.
At a press conference in person, he dismissed the controversy surrounding himself, but when he was pushed out as a bench member while playing a tournament in the national team, this time there was even a ‘threat to leave the national team’.
It is said that he was dissatisfied with Portuguese coach Fernando Santos, who did not use him as a starter, and said he would leave the national team.
With the Portuguese Football Association stepping up and denying that it was true, Ronaldo played until the quarterfinals, but left Qatar empty-handed, without a trophy or a team.