For a moment, Cristiano Ronaldo looked like he was about to cry. And then all of a sudden, no, he’s gone over the edge. The floodgates have opened and he is now wailing. In front of a packed crowd in Frankfurt and a massive global television audience, arguably the most famous athlete on earth broke down in tears.
And there’s still a game to win and a place in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals to secure.
It’s amazing to witness. The Portugal captain endured another frustrating night, still chasing his first goal of the World Cup, and now had the chance to break down Slovenia’s resistance when he saw goalkeeper Jan Obu A penalty saved brilliantly by Luck. The tension and pain accumulated in my heart suddenly boiled over.
Ronaldo has missed penalties before, sometimes in high-pressure situations. He’s cried on the court before: tears of sadness, tears of joy. But this is different because the game isn’t over yet. The 39-year-old admitted that this would be his last European Championship appearance and that he was crying not for a lost game but for what seemed like a decline in his strength. They are like the tears shed by a matinee idol as he realizes that he is about to face the final curtain.
For once, he looked so vulnerable, so fallible, so… human. As Portugal’s players huddled together at half-time of extra time, they looked up and saw what looked like a broken man. One by one they tried to raise him. His former Manchester United team-mates Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot caught him, as if to remind him of who he was – and who he still is. Fulham midfielder Joao Palinha and Manchester City defender Ruben Dias did something similar.
Dalot consoles a tearful Ronaldo during halftime of overtime (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Remarkably, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez kept him on the field in this situation. Ronaldo looks finished. He barely touched the ball for the rest of extra time and Slovenia looked more likely to win for the first time all night.
The game entered a penalty shootout. What if Ronaldo misses again?
He didn’t. This time, he slammed the ball to Oblak’s right and looked relieved as the net bulged. It took courage, but there was no bravado in his response. It’s not yet time for his signature celebration. Instead, he offered a fist-pumping apology to Portugal supporters.
Within three minutes, Portuguese players and fans began celebrating the victory. Their goalkeeper Diogo Costa was the hero, saving all three of Slovenia’s kicks, while Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandez and Bernardo Silva completed their tally. It was a remarkable performance from Costa, who also made a crucial save late in extra time to deny Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko. Relieved, Ronaldo hugged and thanked him.
“It started with sadness, but in the end it was joy,” the five-time Ballon d’Or winner told Portuguese television station RTP afterwards. “This is what football brings: inexplicable moments from the 8th minute to the 80th minute. That’s what happened today. Did I have a chance to give the team the lead? I couldn’t.
Ronaldo apologetically celebrates scoring in the penalty shootout (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
He points to his penalty record all season long – “I haven’t failed once” – but deep down he must know that it’s not just his penalties that will be in the spotlight at Euro 2024. As has always been the case in the record books), he is yet to score in four appearances in the Championship. Apart from a penalty against Ghana in Portugal’s opening match of the 2022 World Cup, he has made eight appearances in major tournaments without scoring.
Ronaldo made 51 appearances in all competitions for Alnas last season, scoring 50 goals. He also scored 10 goals in nine games in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, but half of those came against Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. He is the men’s international goalscoring record holder with 130 goals in 211 games, which is a bit ridiculous – but the team he has scored the most for over the past three years is Switzerland (19th) , Qatar (35th), Slovakia (45th) and the Republic of Ireland (60th).
But he still took a lot of shots. So many shots on goal – 20 in total so far this tournament, at least seven more than any other player. Many promising attacks and dangerous free-kicks were sacrificed on the altar of self-indulgence. There was a free kick against Slovenia and even in a stadium full of die-hard Ronaldo fans he was certainly the only one who thought he was going to score. Sure enough, his shot went well beyond the far post.
There are also instances where he can’t shoot because while his frame still looks formidable, his acceleration, speed and strength aren’t what they used to be. At one point in the first half, Bernardo Silva drifted infield from the right wing and had one of the most delightful-looking crosses thrown at him at the far post. Ronaldo jumped but failed to catch the ball. Not for the first time at this World Cup, you would have thought he would have missed an opportunity like this in his prime.
But his prime is long past his prime. It might be longer than he thought. He won his last Ballon d’Or in 2017, and even at that stage, aged 32, he has become a more economical player than the unstoppable, irrepressible force he was in his 20s.
Ronaldo beats Jan Oblak in penalty kick (Harriet Lander – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Some will argue this is a tournament too far away for him, but a similar statement was made 18 months ago at the World Cup in Qatar, where he barely made an impact and eventually ceded his place to Gonca Los Ramos. It feels like two games too far now – or maybe two games – and Ronaldo might be better used as an option, perhaps coming off the bench at times, swapping places with Ramos or Diogo Jota rather than as something else. The fixed point around which everything must revolve.
It was almost surprising to hear Ronaldo describe this as his last European title in the post-match mixed zone. “But I’m not emotional about it,” he said. “I’m moved by everything about football – my passion for the game, seeing the passion of my supporters, my family and the affection people have for me.
“It’s not about leaving the world of football. What else can I do or win? It won’t come down to one more point or one less point. Making people happy is my biggest motivation.
What else could he do or win? That doesn’t sound like Ronaldo, especially considering the scene we witnessed earlier in the evening. Of course, he was right – his legacy and place in footballing immortality was secured long ago – but his reaction to the missed penalty was not a man immune to the pressure of proving himself time and time again.
“He was our role model,” Martinez said later. “Those emotions[after the missed penalty]were unbelievable. After the career he’s had and everything he’s achieved, he doesn’t need to care that much. After the missed penalty, he became the first to take one (Penalty shootout). I’m sure he has to be number one and show us how to win and his reaction is an example of that and we’re very proud.
That’s all well and good, but Martinez has a big decision to make ahead of Portugal’s quarter-final against France in Hamburg on Friday.
Ronaldo has been the player to pull his team back from the brink on many occasions over the years, but on Monday night he looked like he had not only had his penalty saved by Oblak, but also his opponent who eventually caught up to All Sportsman Defeated.
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Admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo
(Top photo: Alex Green/Getty Images)
