Arlington, United States. The captain of the Portugal national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, ended his World Cup career this Monday following the 1-0 defeat against Spain in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
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After the match, the Portuguese forward stated that he left with a “clear conscience,” considering that he left a historic legacy for his country by winning the national team’s first three official titles.
“I will wake up just like today, with a clear conscience. I have won three titles with Portugal. Before Cristiano, Portugal had no titles. I am happy. The greatest title I won with the national team was the 2016 European Championship; for me, it has the same dimension as a World Cup,” Ronaldo expressed in the mixed zone.
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The veteran attacker acknowledged the sadness of saying goodbye to the World Cup with a defeat, although he stated that he gave everything on the pitch.
“I am sad to leave the World Cup like this, but I have given everything, the best of me. I leave with a clear conscience. That’s football, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. You have to keep going,” he stated.
Ronaldo also left his future as a footballer in suspense, indicating that he will make the decision after talking with his family and avoiding doing so in the heat of the moment.
“It was my last World Cup, but there will be time to think about the rest, be with my family, and not make decisions while hot-headed,” he pointed out.
Regarding the match, the forward considered that the game was very even and that Spain managed to qualify thanks to a goal in the final minutes.
“It was a very balanced match. It could have gone either way and Spain had a little bit of luck scoring in the final minutes, but that’s football,” he concluded.
With this elimination, Cristiano Ronaldo definitively closes his history in the World Cups, putting an end to a career that defined an era with the Portuguese national team and included the conquest of the 2016 European Championship, the UEFA Nations League, and other important international achievements.
