Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup Dream Ends as Portugal Loses to Spain

One of football's great careers will finish without the biggest prize after Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup match for Portugal ended with a 1-0 last-16 defeat by Spain.

He was in tears as his World Cup story ended in Dallas with Mikel Merino's injury-time winner sending their neighbours through.

The 41-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner, five-time Champions League winner and Euro 2016 champion has scored a world-record 976 goals for his clubs and country.

He has scored at a record six World Cups. But the closest he got to winning it was when Portugal reached the semi-finals in his first tournament in 2006.

He had already announced this would be his final World Cup - but said afterwards "I will meet the family and take decisions with a calm head" when asked if he would keep playing for his country.

Whether Portugal would have had a better chance of winning this World Cup without the pressure to start Al-Nassr's Ronaldo in each game will remain open to debate.

However, there was no question for BBC pundit Chris Sutton, who was in Texas for BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He's waddling around the field like a grandad, that's why Portugal are out," the former England striker said.

"Cristiano Ronaldo does nothing; he did nothing.

"What is Roberto Martinez doing? How can you pander to a player so much?

"Portugal are out because of Roberto Martinez."

Boss Martinez announced he was leaving the job after the final whistle and praised "football icon" Ronaldo.

"We need to thank him for what he tried to do at this World Cup," Martinez said.

"His dream was to win this World Cup, he did this with an amazing example.

"He is a prime example of football and the human being that is behind that athlete."

A major recurring theme at the past few major tournaments has been about whether Ronaldo should start.

He has scored 146 goals for his country, a record in men's international football - but recently cynics have suggested he does not offer much else.

And with fame and status that transcends the game, Martinez seemingly dared not drop him.

But a team filled with some of the best defenders and midfielders in the world may have hoped to do better than make the last 16.

Four of the squad helped Paris St-Germain win the past two Champions League titles - left-back Nuno Mendes, midfielders Vitinha and Joao Neves and striker Goncalo Ramos, who joined AC Milan this summer.

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes was the Premier League's player of the year.

"How did Goncalo Ramos not get on the pitch?" asked Sutton.

"It's an absolute embarrassment from the manager, just pandering to his star player.

"He's the most decorated player that Portugal have ever had but you've got to be stronger than that."

Ronaldo finished the tournament with three goals, a double against Uzbekistan and a penalty against Croatia.

But despite 10 players scoring more goals, only four players at the 2026 World Cup had more shots than Ronaldo's 18.

Ronaldo had the same amount of efforts as seven-goal joint top scorer Erling Haaland has currently had.

He only created one chance for a team-mate in his five games by comparison.

Some 366 players touched the ball more times than Ronaldo at the World Cup despite him playing all bar nine minutes of Portugal's five games.

Martinez said: "When you need a goal you cannot take Cristiano off, at least in 90 minutes, he is physically capable - his presence, open space, dead-ball situations, we need his experience."

The popularity of former Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward Ronaldo and his long-term rival Lionel Messi have almost changed football fandom.

Many regards themselves as fans of either Ronaldo or Barcelona legend and former PSG forward Messi - rather than just supporting a club.

Their rivalry has been featured in a BBC iPlayer documentary this summer.

Neither group of fans will ever back down on their opinion in the debate on which one of the players is the greatest footballer of all time - if either is that.

But until 2022 the one thing held against both was that they had never won the World Cup - a trophy which the iconic Pele and Diego Maradona both lifted.

Messi won it in 2022 with Argentina in Qatar - removing that obstacle. And now Ronaldo will retire having never won it.

While both players are winding down their careers, with Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia and Messi in the United States with Inter Miami, there is no doubt Messi is still having the higher impact at this stage.

He is the joint top scorer with seven goals - matching the amount he scored in 2022. Ronaldo has four goals across those tournaments.

Ronaldo's former United team-mate Wayne Rooney said: "He is a genius, a superstar. What he has given to football and millions of people is something very rare.

"He will be disappointed because he believed he could win this tournament. But time gets us all. It's a sad day for football."

Former Swansea, Wigan and Everton boss Martinez managed Belgium from 2016 to 2022 and Portugal since 2023.

The Spaniard took Belgium to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, where they lost to France, but then went out in the group stages of 2022.

He did win the Nations League with Portugal last year but leaves after this World Cup exit.

"I came to Portugal with the objective of winning the World Cup and because I haven't won it wouldn't make sense to continue," he said.

"My contract ends today."

Sutton continued: "His job was to try and win the World Cup and put the best team out for Portugal.

"Has he done that? Absolutely not.

"It's scandalous the way he has managed this team.

"He made a mess of Belgium when they had an opportunity of really doing great things with that golden generation; they ended up Belgian buffoons.

"Now Portugal, it was pathetic to see a manager act in that manner."