'Controversy over Ronaldo being past his prime' → Full rebuttal: "Still the greatest human"... The coach who protected him to the end announced his resignation immediately after Portugal's World Cup elimination

*This content was translated by AI.

Cristiano Ronaldo's (Al Nassr) final World Cup journey ended in tears. At the same time, Portugal's coaching staff also stepped down, marking the end of an era for Portuguese football.

On the 7th (Korea time), Portugal lost 0-1 to Spain in the Round of 16 match at the American Dallas Stadium during the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup.

Ronaldo's last dance, which he had effectively declared as his final World Cup, has come to an end here.

With this defeat, Portugal was eliminated in the Round of 16 for the first time since the 2018 Russia tournament, eight years later. Meanwhile, Spain shed the pain of consecutive Round of 16 exits in the last two tournaments and reached the quarterfinals for the first time since winning the 2010 South Africa tournament, 16 years later.

This was a shabby exit from the World Cup for Ronaldo. The British media outlet 'BBC' pointed out, "Ronaldo's great career, which includes five Ballon d'Or awards, five UEFA Champions League titles, Euro 2016 victory, and a world record of 976 goals scored at both club and national team levels, has ended without the biggest trophy."

In fact, Ronaldo set a new record by scoring in all six World Cups for the first time in history, but his best result was fourth place at the 2006 Germany World Cup, his debut tournament.

Furthermore, according to 'BBC' data analysis, Ronaldo scored three goals in five matches of this tournament with multi-goals against Uzbekistan and a penalty kick goal against Croatia, while 10 other players scored more than him. He attempted as many as 18 shots. This is the same number as Eling Haaland (7 goals), who was tied for the top scorer. Meanwhile, he created opportunities for his teammates only once during the five matches. In particular, despite playing in all but nine minutes of Portugal's five matches in this tournament, 366 players who participated in the tournament recorded more ball touches than Ronaldo, indicating a decline in match influence. Even against Spain, he managed only 19 ball touches and three shots over 90 minutes.

The match between Portugal and Spain was decided in stoppage time of the second half. Spain broke down Portugal's defense with intricate passing plays in the midfield area and shattered the balance with a dramatic left-footed winner by Miguel Merino following an infiltration pass from Ferran Torres. Although Portugal launched fierce counterattacks for the remaining time, they could not break through Spain's defense, and the match ultimately ended with a 1-0 victory for Spain.

When the final whistle blew, Ronaldo, who shed hot tears of shock over Portugal's World Cup elimination, avoided giving an immediate answer when asked about his retirement from the national team in a post-match interview, saying, "I will first meet my family and make a decision with a calm mind."

Wayne Rooney, a former Manchester United teammate of Ronaldo, told 'BBC', "Ronaldo is a genius and superstar who gave football fans and millions of people a rare gift," but added, "He believed he could win this tournament, so the disappointment must be great, but no one can stop the passage of time. It is a sad day for football."

Meanwhile, with the end of Ronaldo's last dance, Roberto Martinez, who had led the Portuguese national team, announced his sudden resignation, concluding their journey together. In an interview immediately after the match, Coach Martinez clearly stated his intention to resign: "I came to Portugal with the goal of winning the World Cup, and since we failed to achieve it, there is no meaning in continuing to hold the baton. My contract ends today."

However, regarding Ronaldo's deployment, Coach Martinez said, "Considering Ronaldo's presence, space creation, set-piece scoring ability, and experience in situations where goals are needed, I could not substitute him within at least 90 minutes," and added, "Ronaldo was certainly physically capable of playing enough. As a football icon and as a human behind the player, he is the best role model," showing trust in him to the end.

Coach Martinez previously led Belgium from 2016 to 2022 and took charge of Portugal starting in 2023. Although they won the Nations League last year, this time they packed their bags at the Round of 16 stage of the World Cup and left the Portuguese stage together with Ronaldo.

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*This content was translated by AI.