A single tear from Cristiano Ronaldo triggered a bet worth billions of won... "That was sweat," he refuted, leading to a hyper-precise analysis → Final verdict: "He did cry"

*This content was translated by AI.

A bet worth billions of won was placed over whether Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr, Portugal) shed a single tear. A bizarre scene unfolded as photos were enlarged and videos analyzed frame by frame to determine if Ronaldo actually cried.

On the 12th (Korea time), Egypt's Independent reported that "millions of people bet millions of dollars on whether superstar Ronaldo would cry during the match at the 2026 FIFA CONCACAF World Cup."

According to reports, the online prediction market platform Polymarket opened a trading market with the theme 'Will Ronaldo cry at the World Cup?'. Previously, Polymarket had seen trading on outlandish topics such as whether the U.S. government would announce the existence of aliens or whether the Earth is flat.

In a way, betting on 'Ronaldo's tears' was an ordinary level of speculation. However, there was a reason many soccer fans focused on this market. Considering Ronaldo's age, which has passed his 40s, it was highly likely that the CONCACAF World Cup would be his final stage on the world stage. Furthermore, Ronaldo is well-known as a player who openly displays his emotions. During the 2022 Qatar World Cup, when Portugal was eliminated, Ronaldo shed hot tears. When his club team Al-Nassr reached the top of the Saudi Arabia league this year, he also showed tears of joy.

The fateful moment that would decide the betting outcome came in the Round of 16 of the CONCACAF World Cup. Portugal lost 0-1 to Spain, one of the strong favorites for the championship in this tournament. With Portugal's elimination, Ronaldo's World Cup journey, which could have been his last, ended sadly.

After the match, footage captured Ronaldo wiping his face with a stern expression as he left the field. Regarding this scene, opinions sharply divided over whether Ronaldo actually shed tears.

At the time, the U.S. Fox broadcast team explained that "Ronaldo appeared overwhelmed with emotion." However, some participants refuted this, stating there was no clear evidence that actual tears flowed. Since billions of won were at stake, even more conclusive proof was required.

Participants in the trade downloaded photos of Ronaldo wiping his face with a grimace and began analyzing them by enlarging them. Egypt's Independent reported on the tense situation at the time, stating that "whenever new evidence and claims emerged, betting probabilities fluctuated." Videos shot from different angles were also analyzed frame by frame.

In this process, it was discovered that something appeared to be flowing around Ronaldo's right eye and nose area. However, some participants who claimed Ronaldo did not cry argued, "It was just sweat and shiny skin," adding, "While he may have been holding back tears welling up in his eyes, there was definitely no actual tear flow."

On the other hand, participants claiming 'he cried' presented not only photos and videos of Ronaldo wiping his face but also articles from some foreign media as evidence. The UK's BBC expressed that "Ronaldo's World Cup career ended amidst tears," while U.S. ESPN also reported that "Ronaldo, who clearly appeared overwhelmed with emotion, wiped away tears while applauding the fans."

As the controversy continued, the market entered an official result review procedure. Polymarket utilizes UMA, a blockchain-based verification system, in markets where determining results is difficult. In case of disputes, UMA token holders review relevant materials and market rules before deciding the final outcome through voting. They essentially serve as a jury.

After the review, the final verdict was 'Ronaldo cried.' Polymarket explained that "among photos and videos shot on the field immediately after the Portugal-Spain match, there is evidence meeting the judgment criteria," adding that "the materials show Ronaldo crying, with tears visible on his face."

Egypt's Independent reported that "with this verdict, trading was finally closed, causing millions of dollars in gains and losses to diverge," stating that "participants who bet on Ronaldo crying secured profits, while those who bet on the opposing side bore the losses."

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*This content was translated by AI.