Pele And LeBron James Send Messages To Cristiano Ronaldo After Portugal Legend Posts Statement Reflecting On World Cup Exit

Nazir Hamzah December 12, 2022

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Cristiano Ronaldo posted a lengthy statement on Instagram less than 24 hours after Portugal were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup by Morocco.

Saturday’s will almost certainly prove to be Ronaldo’s last ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup.

He scored eight goals in 22 games spread across five tournaments but was unable to succeed in his overall mission of winning the famous trophy.

In his statement on Sunday, Ronaldo expressed his disappointment at falling short on the biggest stage of all.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Ronaldo had threatened to leave the Portugal squad in Qatar after being benched for his side’s 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16.

Portugal later denied this and Ronaldo reiterated in his statement that his “dedication” to his country “has not changed, not for a moment”.

The statement in full, translated from Portuguese, read: “Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately I won many titles of international dimension, including with Portugal, but putting our country’s name on the highest foot in the world was my biggest dream.

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Neymar pictured hugging Leonardo Perisic, son of Croatia soccer star Ivan Perisic, after Brazil were eliminated from the 2022 World Cup

Georgina Rodriguez pictured (center) watching Portugal vs Switzerland after her boyfriend, Cristiano Ronaldo, was dropped from the starting XI

Cristiano Ronaldo pictured during his last ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup - in Portugal's 1-0 loss to Morocco in 2022

“I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. In 5 appearances I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always by the side of great players and supported by millions of Portuguese people, I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face from the fight and I never gave up on that dream.

“Sadly yesterday the dream ended. It’s not worth reacting to heat. I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed, not for a moment. I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country.

“Not much more to say for now. Thank you Portugal. Thank you Qatar. The dream was nice while it lasted… Now, let’s hope that the weather will be a good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions.”

Ronaldo’s statement received more than 7 million likes on Instagram in under an hour.

It also sparked comments from many famous names, including Pele and LeBron James.

Brazilian soccer legend Pele replied: “Thank you for making us smile, my friend”.

NBA icon James added: “LEGEND!!”