Mueez Ajao
– Former Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has broken his silence after Portugal’s World Cup elimination.
– Coach Fernando Santos was bitterly criticised for his decisions in the tournament, especially leaving both Cristiano Ronaldo and Milan winger Rafael Leao on the bench for the knockout fixtures.
– Although it worked wonders when thrashing Switzerland 6-1, they were beaten 1-0 by Morocco in the quarter-final.
Also Read: Morroco break jinx for Africa, ride on Portugal to W/Cup semis
– “Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career,” wrote Ronaldo on Instagram.
– “Fortunately, I won many international titles, including for Portugal, but putting the name of our country at the top of the world was my biggest dream.
– “I fought for this. I fought hard for this dream. In the five World Cups I participated in over 16 years, always flanked by great players and supported by millions of Portuguese fans, I gave my all. I left everything out there on the field.
– “I never turned away when the time came to fight, I never gave up on this dream. Unfortunately, yesterday the dream was over.”
– CR7 then turned towards the reports he had threatened to walk away from the World Cup in Qatar after he was dropped to the bench.
– “It’s not worth reacting in the heat of the moment. I just want everyone to know that a lot has been said, a lot has been written, a lot has been speculated on, but my dedication to Portugal never changed even for an instant. I always fought for everyone’s objective and would never have turned my back on my teammates and my country.
– “There’s not much else to say right now. Thank you Portugal. Thank you Qatar. The dream was wonderful as long as it lasted…
– “Now, hopefully time will allow everyone to draw their own conclusions.”
