"We wrote the tragic story together." Son Heung-min and Hong Myung-bo share the 'humiliation' of tying for first place with Cristiano Ronaldo in the record for most World Cup defeats... "To lose eight times"

*This content was translated by AI.

Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al Nassr) has taken on the shameful record of being the player with the most career World Cup defeats (8 losses). Alongside him, South Korean national team captain Son Heung-min (34, LAFC) and former South Korean national team coach Hong Myung-bo have drawn attention by appearing on the same list.

Portugal lost 0-1 to Spain in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup Round of 16 match held at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA, on the 7th (Korean time). Having reached only the quarterfinals in the previous 2022 Qatar tournament, Portugal was eliminated again in the Round of 16 this time, swallowing their disappointment.

Ronaldo has appeared in six consecutive World Cup finals from the 2006 Germany tournament to this North American tournament. He tied Lionel Messi (39, Inter Miami) for the all-time record for most appearances. However, like his number of appearances, his number of defeats was also high.

The UK's BBC reported immediately after the Spain match ended: "Ronaldo has suffered his eighth career World Cup defeat," adding that "only Ronaldo, Son Heung-min, Hong Myung-bo, Matthew Raki (Australia), and Antonio Carvajal (Mexico) have recorded eight defeats in World Cup history."

Ronaldo started with two defeats in the 2006 Germany tournament, then recorded one defeat each in the 2010 South Africa, 2014 Brazil, and 2018 Russia tournaments. He added two more defeats at the 2022 Qatar tournament, bringing his total to eight defeats with this loss against Spain.

Son Heung-min suffered two defeats each in the 2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia, and 2022 Qatar tournaments. Then, in the group stage of this North American tournament, he lost 0-1 consecutively to Mexico and South Africa, bowing his head a total of eight times.

Former South Korean national team coach Hong Myung-bo also tasted the bitterness of eight career defeats as a player. After suffering three defeats in the 1990 Italy tournament, he recorded one defeat in the 1994 USA tournament, two defeats in the 1998 France tournament, and two defeats in the 2002 Korea-Japan tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.